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NEGATIVE 
NO.  95-82373 


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Author: 


U.S.  Dept.  of  Commerce 


Title 


Pineapple-canning 
industry  of  the  world 

Place: 

Washington,  D.C. 


Date 


1915 


MASTER   NEGATIVE   # 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 
PRESERVATION 

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U.  S.    Dept,  of  jcpmnierce, 

...  Pineapple-canning  industry  of  the  world,  by  J.  Alexis 
Shriver,  commercial  agent  of  the  Department  of  commerce. 
Washington,  Govt,  print,  off.,  1915. 

43  p.    25«. 

At  head  of  title:  Department  of  commerce.  Bureau  of  foreign  and 
domestic  commerce.  A.  H.  lialdwin,  chief.  Special  agents  series- 
no.  91. 

1.  Pineapple.  .  2.  £annlng  and  preserving— Industry  and  trade.  i. 

Shriver,  Joseph  Alexis,  1872-  \^  -     il  U.  S.    Bureau  of  foreign  and  do- 
mestic commerce  (Dept.  of  commerce) 


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DEPARTMENT    OF    COMMERCE 

BUREAU  OF  FORETGN  AND  DOMESTIC  COMMERCE 
A.  H.  BALDVI!«.Chtef 


SPECIAL  AGENTS  SERIES-No.  91 


PINEAPPLE-CANNING  INDUSTRY 
OF  THE  WORLD 


BY 


J.  ALEXIS  SHRIVER 

Commcrclftl  Af^o^  of  the  Dep&rtraput  of  Commerce 


WASHINGTON 
GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 

19i5 


D307 


Un3-f 


LIBRARY 


School  of  Business 


DEPARTMENT   OF    COMMERCE 

BUREAU  OF  FOREIGN  AND  DOMESTIC  COMMERCE 
A.  H.  BALDWIN.  Chief 


SPECIAL  AGENTS  SERIES— No.  91 


PINEAPPLE-CANNING  INDUSTRY 
OF  THE  WORLD 


BY 


J.  ALEXIS  SHRIVER 

Commercial  Agent  of  the  Department  of  Commerot 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 

1915 


0 


ADDITIONAL  COPIES 

Of  THIS  PUBUCATION  MAT  BE  PROCURED  KROM 

THE  hUPERINTENDtNT  OP  DOCUMENTS 

GOVK&^MRNT   PRlNllNi  OPFICJC 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

At 

fi  CENTS  PER  COPY 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Letter  of  submittal 5 

Introduction 7 

Territory  of  Hawaii 9 

Philippine  Islands 18 

Singapore 18 

Siam 31 

Southern  China 36 

Taiwan  (Formosa) 39 

Bahama  Islands 41 

Guadeloupe 43 

3 


LETTER  OF  SUBMITTAL. 


Department  of  Commerce, 
Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Commerce, 

Washington,  September  30,  1914- 
Sir:  There  is  submitted  herewith  a  report  by  Commercial  Agent 
J.  Alexis  Shriver  on  the  pineapple-canning  industry  of  the  world, 
contributions  from  some  consular  officers  being  included.  Valuable 
features  of  the  report  are  the  review  of  the  industry  in  Hawaii, 
where  its  growth  has  been  remarkable,  and  the  detailed  study  of 
conditions  in  the  countries  of  the  Far  East  that  offer  the  most 
formidable  competition. 

Respectfully, 

A.  H.  Baldwin, 

Chief  of  Bureau. 

To  Hon.  William  C.  Redfield, 

Secretary  of  Commerce, 

5 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY  OF  THE  WORLD. 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  canning  of  pineapple  has  demonstrated,  probably  a  little 
more  forcibly  than  has  been  the  case  with  the  cannmg  of  any  other 
product,  certain  unusual  values  of  the  discovery  of  the  preservation 
of  articles  of  food  in  hermeticaUy  sealed  contamers  by  means  of 
sterihzation  by  intense  heat.  In  the  case  of  pmeapples,  a  tropical 
fruit  that  can  not  stand  shipment  for  long  distances,  the  liavor  and 
bouquet  have  been  retained  in  the  canned  article  to  a  surprising 
decrree,  and  a  further  advantage  to  the  consumer  hes  in  the  fact  t^at 
the  fruit  requires  no  preparation  for  the  table— an  important  matter 
in  a  fruit  covered  with  a  tough  prickly  skin  and  tided  with  deep- 
seated  ''eyes."  Thus  the  cannmg  mdustry  has  made  it  possible  for 
the  housekeeper  to  have  on  her  pantry  shelves,  m  the  coldest  chmates, 
a  tropical  fruit  in  nearly  its  natural  state,  ready  for  servmg  at  a 
moment's  notice,  in  season  and  out  of  season,  ready  to  eat  without 
preparation,  and  always  dehcious.  .  .       .    , 

The  pineapple  is  found  m  a  wild  state  in  most  tropical  countries 
and  has  been  known  by  Europeans  and  Americans  for  many  years 
Its  introduction  to  the  eastern  coast  of  America  as  an  article  of  food 
dates  back  probably  100  years,  when  the  chief  source  of  supply  was 
the  West  Indies,  prmcipally  the  Bahamas.  The  annual  import  of 
later  years  has  been  from  5,000,000  to  8,000,000  fruits  The  west- 
coast  ports  have  been  served  with  fresh  fruits  from  the  Hawauan 
Islands  About  1860  pineapple  culture  was  mtroduced  from  I'orto 
Rico  into  Florida,  and  since  that  date  the  unportation  of  fresh  pme- 
apples  from  the  West  Indies  and  the  Bahamas  has  decreased  some- 
what The  quaUty  has  been  unproved  through  better  methods  of 
shipment  and  handhng,  as  well  as  by  means  of  more  careful  methods 
of  cultivation.  The  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  took 
up  the  study  of  the  many  native  varieties  over  20  years  ago  and 
since  that  tune  has  made  a  study  of  the  breeding  of  hybrids  pro- 
ducing larger  fruits  of  good  quahty,  good  shippers,  and  fruits  that 

i*f*mst  diseases 

Fresh  pmeapples  found  their  way  early  mto  Europe  from  such 
tropical  countries  as  enjoyed  quick  and  adequate  transportation 
facihties.  The  area  that  could  become  a  market  for  the  fresh  fruit, 
however,  was  Umited  not  only  by  the  difficulty  of  transpor- 
tation, but  by  the  necessity  of  offering  a  fruit  cut  m  an  unripened 
condition  and  hence  lackmg  m  the  sweetness  found  m  properly 
ripened  fruit.  Add  to  these  disadvantages  lack  of  keepmg  quahties, 
cost,  unf amiharity  with  the  commodity,  and  the  unpleasantness  of 
preparation  for  servmg,  and  it  is  not  difficult  to  comprehend  that  the 
general  use  of  pineapple  as  an  article  of  food  could  not  have  a  rapid 
development. 

64630°— 15 2  ^ 


8 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE  WORLD. 


The  swift  growth  of  the  canned-pineapple  industry  has  demon- 
strated clearty  that  the  difficulties  above  enumerated  have  been 
eliminated  and  that  a  new,  important,  and  growing  industry  is 
rapidly  developing.  This  industry,  which  was  inaugurated  in  Balti- 
more, Md.,  one  of  the  cradles  of  the  canning  industry  in  nearly  every 
line,  is  now  carried  on  in  many  parts  of  the  globe.  The  Baltimore 
industry  has  suffered  considerably  from  the  competition  of  newer 
rivals  in  the  business.  Tlie  high-water  mark  of  pacidng  in  Baltimore 
was  reached  in  1900,  when  65  boatloads  of  4,500  to  15,000  tlozen 
pineapples  each  arrived  at  that  port.  Receipts  of  this  character 
continued  for  a  number  of  years,  but  after  the  growing  of  fruit  in  the 
Bahama  Islands  dechned  the  saiUng  ships  were  withdrawn  and  pine- 
apples from  Cuba  took  their  place.  These  pineapples  are  brought  in 
crates  by  steamer  from  Cuba  to  New  York  and  are  then  transshipped 
in  carload  lots  to  Baltimore  for  packing.  The  crates  contain  48,  42, 
or  36  pineapples  each,  according  to  size.  The  fruits  packed  48  to  the 
case  average  22}  ounces  in  weight  and  11  to  12  inches  in  circum- 
ference; those  packed  42  to  the  case  average  26  ounces  and  measure 
12  to  13  inches;  and  those  packed  36  to  the  case  weigh  33 1  ounces 
and  measure  13  to  14  inches.  The  tops  are  included  in  the  weight, 
so  that  the  fruit  at  present  received  is  very  small.  An  average  price 
for  such  fresh  fruit  is  4  cents  each. 

The  Baltimore  pineapples  are  packed  in  several  forms,  principally 
shced  (these  being  graded)  and  grated,  in  No.  1  and  No.  2  cans. 
Only  three  or  four  of  the  large  Baltimore  packing  houses  are  continu- 
ing the  packing  of  pineapple,  and  the  total  annual  output  is  probably 
about  50,000  to  75,000  cases. 

The  principal  supply  is  canned  in  the  Territory  of  Hawaii,  and  the 
next  largest  supply  (shipped  mostly  to  European  countries)  comes 
from  Singapore  and  the  Straits  Settlements.  Other  points  of  sup- 
ply are  the  West  Indies,  Siam,  Taiwan  (Formosa),  and  the  south  of 
China,  and  there  are  new  establishments  in  Sarawak,  Borneo,  and 
in  the  Philippines.  Some  pineapples  are  packed  in  parts  of  Russia 
with  fruit  imported  from  tropical  countries.  The  amounts  of  fruit 
packed  for  export  in  the  majority  of  the  places  mentioned  are  small 
as  compared  with  the  Hawaiian  or  the  Singapore  pack.  Hawaii, 
however,  more  than  doubled  the  output  of  Singapore,  its  older  rival, 
during  1913.  In  the  West  Indies  pineapples  are  raised  chiefly  to  be 
sold  as  fresh  fruit  in  the  northern  markets,  although  canning  is  done 
on  a  small  scale. 

The  pineapple-canning  industry  as  at  present  constituted  can, 
therefore,  be  studied  best  through  the  factories  in  Hawaii  and  Singa- 
pore, and  a  more  casual  study  of  the  estabUshments  in  Siam,  the 
rhihppines,  China,  and  Taiwan  will  give  an  idea  of  the  possible 
future  development  at  those  points.  The  Hawaiian  factories  will  be 
treated  first  because  of  their  superiority  in  every  respect  to  any  of  the 
other  factories.  A  comparison  with  the  factories  of  Singapore  will 
explain  the  cheapness  of  the  Singapore  article  as  compared  with  the 
Hawaiian,  and  a  survey  of  the  small  estabUshments  in  China  and  the 
part  played  by  the  Chinese  in  the  manufacture  in  Siam  and  Singa- 
pore will  indicate  a  possible  market  that  can  be  developed  among  the 
Chinese  by  proper  promotion  of  sales  of  the  cheaper  grades  of  Ameri- 
can pineapple.  Tne  crude  methods  of  manufacture  now  emploj^ed 
in  the  majority  of  these  oriental  establishments  and  the  inferiority 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY  OF   THE  WORLD.  9 

of  the  article  there  produced  should  be  the  key  to  f^^ujing  the 
European  market  when  the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal  brmgs  that 
market  into  closer  touch  with  Hawan.  A  pubhcity  campaign 
throughout  the  European  countries  similar  to  that  akeady  under- 
taken in  America  should  solve  the  problem  of  a  market  for  he 
increasing  product  of  the  Hawaiian  kctori^.  A  reduction  m  the 
tariff  in  a  number  of  European  countries  would  helo  considerably  and, 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  canned  pineapple  would  not  compete  with 
home  products,  such  a  reduction  might  be  obtamed.  In  Germany 
Hawaiian  pineapple,  packed  without  sugar  to  obtam  a  lower  rate  of 
duty,  is  repacked;  and  in  this  case  there  may  be  a  question  of  compe-- 

'  The  European  market  is  not  thoroughly  familiar  with  canned  pine- 
apple, and  proper  exploitation  of  this  field,  with  judicious  advertising 
in  the  language  of  the  country,  should  result  m  mcreased  sales  The 
superior  quaffty  and  attractiveness  of  the  Hawaiian  pmeapple  will 
carrv  weight  with  the  better  class  of  consumers  in  Europe. 

A  number  of  photographs  of  fields  and  factories  m  the  countries 
visited  were  taken  by  the  author  and  wiU  be  loaned  for  exammation 
by  the  Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Commerce. 

TERRITORY  OF  HAW  AH. 

The  rapid  development  of  the  pineapple-canning  industry  in  the 
Hawaiian  Islands  is  the  result  of  the  quick  appreciation  by  the  con- 
suming pubUc  of  a  really  good  product.  It  can  be  truthfully  said 
that  modem  canning  methods  have  made  possible  the  dehvery  to 
any  part  of  the  world  of  pineapple  with  a  flavor  nearer  the  naturaUy 
ripened  fruit  than  much  of  the  so-called  fresh  pmeapple  picked  before 
maturity  to  provide  keeping  quahties  necessary  for  long  shipment. 

Pineapples  were  grown  in  a  small  way  m  the  Hawauan  Islands 
about  1 890,  but  no  canning  was  done  until  1900.  The  followmg  table 
indicates  the  very  rapid  growth  of  the  mdustry  smce  that  date: 


Years. 


Cases. 


IWl 

1908 

1903 

1904 

1905 

1906 

1907 


2,000 

6,000 

9,800 

25,500 

61,300 

84,300 

186,300 


Years. 


410,000 
498,000 
625,000 
751,000 
1,200,000 
1,667,000 

i9i4::::::"::i"iiiiii;iii^i^""^^^  -  .|"2,i77,ooo 


1908 
1909 
1910 
1911 
1912 
1913 


Gases. 


o  Estimated. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  INDUSTRY. 

This  great  volume  of  business  is  the  combined  output  of  10  separate 
companies,  one  of  which,  on  the  Island  of  Hawau,  is  operat^  inter- 
mittently. These  factories  are  located  as  follows  on  the  different 
islands  comprising  the  group:  Island  of  Oahu,  6  factori^ ;  island  of 
Maui,  2  factories;  island  of  Kauai,  1  factory;  island  of  Hawau,  1 
factory  (not  regularly  operated).  ,  «  i    i 

The  companies  operating  the  above  cannenes  are  all  r^larly 
incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  Territory,  and  are  as  foUows: 
Island  of  Oahu-Hawaiian  Pineapple  Co.  (LtdO ;  Hawaiian  Pres^v- 
ing  Co.  (Ltd.);  Libby,  McNeill  &  Libby,  of  Honolulu  (Ltd.);  The 


10 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE   WORLD. 


Thomas  Pineapple  Co.  (Ltd.);  Hawaiian  Islands  Packing  Co.  (Ltd.); 
Pearl  City  Fruit  Co.  (Ltd.).  Island  of  Maui— Maui  Fruit  &  Packing 
Co.  (Ltd.);  Maui  Pineapple  Co.  (Ltd.).  Island  of  Kauai— Kauai 
Fruit  &  Land  Co.  (Ltd.).     Island  of  Hawaii — Not  in  operation. 

There  is  a  cooperative  association  made  up  of  all  these  companies. 
It  has  teen  formed  only  a  short  time  and  is  known  as  the  Hawaiian 
Pineapple  Packers'  Association.  A  fund  approximating  $65,000  was 
raised  m  1913  for  the  purpose  of  advertising  the  Hawaiian  Islands 
pineapple  products.  So  far  the  association  has  no  other  oln'ect. 
Membership  is  purely  voluntary.  No  attempt  is  made  to  fix  uniform 
piices,  and  there  has  been  no  other  cooperation  than  the  fund  for  the 
advertising  campaign  for  the  general  good  of  the  industry. 

Pineapple  growing  and  canning  are  confined  principally  to  the 
island  of  Oahu — nine-tenths  of  the  business  being  concentrated  there. 
A  description  of  the  plantations  and  canneries  on  the  island  of  Oahu 
will  serve  to  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  whole  industry. 

Until  a  few  years  ago  the  heart  of  the  pineapple  culture  on  the 
island  of  Oahu  was  in  the  Wahiawa  district,  whicn  is  a  large  plateau 
occupying  the  central  portion  of  the  island  and  having  an  dtitude 
of  500  to  1,200  feet.  This  is  somewhat  hieher  than  the  land  used  for 
the  production  of  sugar  cane.  Until  lately  this  was  practically  the 
only  pineapple  district,  but  recently  considerable  planting  has  been 
effected  on  the  windward  side  of  the  island  and  a  large  factory  has 
l^een  erected  in  this  new  district.  The  direct  transportation  facili- 
ties enjoyed  by  the  island  of  Oahu  from  the  Pacific  coast  and  other 
points  and  the  concentration  of  business  interests  in  Honolulu,  the 
principal  port  of  the  Territory,  have,  of  course,  had  much  influence 
upon  the  development  of  the  industry  on  this  island  as  compared 
with  the  others.  In  fact  it  was  formerly  necessary  to  transship  all 
the  finished  product  from  the  island  of  Kauai  to  the  outside  ports  at 
Honolulu  after  paving  the  extra  freight  and  handling  on  the  inter- 
island  steamers,  llegular  calls  are  now  being  made,  however,  by 
two  of  the  lines  of  passenger  and  freight  steamers  to  the  islands  of 
Maui  and  Kauai,  which  will  help  the  growth  of  the  industry  on  these 
islands. 

PLANTS  AND  EQUIPMENT. 

As  the  pineapple-canning  industry  is  of  recent  growth,  all  the  fac- 
tories and  equipment  are  not  only  new  but  are  of  the  most  modem 
construction,  with  machinery  of  up-to-date  pattern.  The  size  of  the 
original  plants  in  some  cases  has  been  doubled  and  even  Quadrupled. 
In  these  cases  great  care  and  thought  have  been  used  in  tne  arrange- 
ments for  handling  the  immense  quantity  of  fruit,  with  a  view  to 
economy  and  convenience,  as  well  as  to  sanitary  requirements.  The 
plant  of  the  Hawaiian  Pineapple  Co.  (Ltd.)  is  now  being  enlarged 
and  will  be,  when  completed,  probably  the  largest  canning  establish- 
ment in  the  world  with  activities  confined  exclusively  to  a  single 
variety  of  fruit. 

The  lack  at  the  outset  of  any  type  of  machinery  for  handling 

Eineapples  required  concentrated  study  and  experiment,  all  of  which 
as  resulted  in  the  development  of  remarkaldy  satisfactory  apparatus. 
Several  of  the  newer  patented  machines  will  save  a  large  part  (^f  the 
waste  that  was  unavoidable  with  the  earlier  types,  and  recently 


CANNED-PIJSEAPPLli;  INDUSTRY   OF   THE   WORLD. 


11 


satisfactory  methods  have  been  developed  for  utilizing  the  great 
quantity  of  juice  that  heretofore  has  not  only  been  wasted  I  ut  has 
been  a  source  of  expense  owing  t'^  the  trouble  of  removing  it.  There 
is  still  room  for  machinery  or  methods  that  will  sunplify  the  disposal 
of  the  skins  and  waste  material  now  burned  or  thrown  into  the  sea, 
or,  what  would  1  e  much  1  etter,  some  satisfactory  method  for  using 
what  is  not  only  a  waste  but  an  expense. 

TheJirst  factories  were  erected  in  the  pineapple  district.  Ihis  was 
and  still  is  satisfactory  to  several  companies,  but  the  completion  of 
the  railroad— a  distance  of  about  22  miles— from  the  Wahiawa  pine- 
apple distiict  to  Honolulu  in  1907  has  made  possible  the  estabbsh- 
EQent  of  factories  at  the  sliipping  port,  where  labor  is  more  plentiful. 
As  a  result  three  factories  have  been  built  at  Honolulu  since  that 
date,  two,  formerly  in  this  Wahiawa  district,  having  consohdated  and 
erected  a  new  plant  at  Honolulu.  ^     ^   ^^_         i      * 

The  cannhig  of  pineapple  continues  to  some  extent  throughout 
the  year,  alth?ueh  the  larger  portion  of  the  pack  is  put  up  between 
the  "months  of  May  and  September.  Thrc  ughout  the  season  the 
pickei-s  in  the  fields  go  along  tlie  rows  cutting  only  the  pir.eapples 
that  are  fully  ripe.  After  cutting  off  the  crowns,  which  are  left  at 
the  end  of  the  rows  in  the  fields  to  be  used  for  replanting,  the  pine- 
apples are  placed  in  strong  wooden  l)oxe3  holding  from  15  to  20 
pineapples  _each,  according  to  the  weight  or  size,  the  usual  \veight 
(ferred-Tor  canning  1  eing  between^ and  4 jpounds.  These  bcxes 
have  a  handhold  in  each  end  and  are  easHy  piled  without  injuring 
the  fruit.  They  are  loaded  on  wagons  or  open  cars  and  taken  directly 
from  the  fields  to  the  canning  house.  Here  the  boxes  are  miloaded  on 
a  platform,  usually  onto  a  two-wheeled  truck  carrymg  from  6  to  10 
boxes  at  a  time,  and  wheeled  to  the  peelmg  machines  without  delay. 

There  are  a  number  of  devices  used  for  peeling  the  rmd  and    eyes 
from  the  pineapple.     The   older   types  resembled   an  apple-paring 
machine  and  made  it  necessary  to  pare  too  deep  to  remove  aU  trace 
of  the  eye.     The  presence  of  a  small  speck  of  eye  m  the  edge  of  a 
slice    is    considered    a    decided  fault.    The  apple-parer  type  also 
introduced  the  human  equation  to  a  large  extent;  the  shape  of  the 
pineapple  after  paring  depended  largely  on  the  operator,  the  tapering 
ends  of  the  fruit  making  the  task  of  shaping  the  fruit  somewhat 
diilicult.     The  newer  machinery  has  combined  this  step  of  removing 
the  rind  and  eves  with  several  succeeding  steps  in  the  process,  so  that 
the  latest  machine  not  only  pares  but  removes  the  core  and  sizes  the 
pineapple  to  the  proper  diameter  to  fit  the  can,  and,  finally,  another 
machine,  connected  with  the  first,  slices  the  sized  fruit,     i  t  is  needless 
to  state  that  this  newer  machine  is  rapidly  displacing  the  older  types 
that  required  handling  for  each  step  of  preparation.     The  sizmg  of 
the  pineapple  in  order  to  fit  the  can  is  one  of  the  sources  of  loss  m 
pineapple  canning.     The  market  seems  to  demand  a  slice  with  a 
diameter  of  approximatehUiiJnches,  or  at  least  this  is  the  only  size 
the  market  has  known.    Thismay^e  due  either  to  the  established 
size  of  the  cans  or  to  some  settled  custom  of  the  sales  agents,  but  the 
result  is  that  all  pineapples  are  sized  to  the  one  diameter  no  matter 
what  the  size  of  the  fruit.    This  creates^^mand  for  a  small  pine- 
apple, one  weighing  from  W  to^^^poundsrandTthe  finer  fruit,  Weighing 
from~6''^nmpdundsr'must  be  sized  accordmgly.     Formerly  the 


12 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY  OP   THE   WORLD. 


portion  pared  off  was  wasted,  and  with  large  fruit  it  was  not  unusual 
to  lose  as  much  as  40  per  cent  in  this  manner.  Now,  this  outer 
section  is  run  through  a  machine  that  macerates  the  flesh  and  sep- 
arates it  from  the  rind  and  eyes.  This  is  the  product  known  as 
crushed  or  crated  pineapple.  Incidentally  the  outer  portion  of  the 
fruit,  which  nas  been  exposed  to  the  sun,  is  the  very  sweetest  part  and 
contains  the  greatest  percentage  of  sugar.  This  new  grated  product 
has  therefore  saved  from  waste  the  choicest  part  of  the  pineapple. 

As  the  pineapple  passes  through  the  sizmg,  paring,  and  slicing 
machine,  the  rina  and  attached  flesh  drops  to  a  conveyor  belt  moving 
toward  the  macerator.  it  is  fed  from  this  conveyor  automatically 
into  the  macerator,  coming  out  into  large  buckets,  whence  it  is 
carried  by  men  to  the  cookmg  vats,  the  refuse  rind  and  eyes  being 
separated  from  it  in  the  tnacerator  and  carried  to  the  press.  These 
eyes  and  skins  are  put  through  a  press  for  the  purpose  of  extracting 
as  much  of  the  watery  juice  as  possible.  The  pulp  is  then  carried  by 
another  conveyor  belt  to  an  incinerator,  wnere  it  is  reduced  to 
ashes. 

The  main  portion  of  the  pineapple  passes  from  the  paring,  sizing, 
and  slicing  machine  in  another  direction  over  a  separate  set  of  con- 
veyor belts  between  lines  of  women  at  tables.  These  women,  wearing 
rubber  gloves,  select  the  various  grades  of  shces  from  the  moving 
belt.  Tne  first  women  pick  out  the  best  sUces,  of  which  it  jtakes.  eight 
tojill  a^No.  2i  can,  while  the  women  further  fdongTHelBelt  take  the 
second  grades^fslices,  and  the  women  at  the  end  receive  the  poorest 
or  broken  sUces,  with  which  they  fill  the  cans  containing  the  cheapest 
grades.  The  flesh  of  the  fruit  as  put  up  in  Hawaii  is  so  juicy  and 
tender  that  it  is  easily  broken,  so  that  a  large  proportion  of  good 
and  palatable  fruit  goes  into  the  lower  grades 

After  the  cans  have  been  filled  with  slices  from  the  belts  and 
placed  at  the  back  of  the  table,  they  are  removed  by  men  to  other 
conveyor  belts,  which  in  turn  carry  the  cans  to  a  point  where  the 
proper  amount  of  sirup  is  added.  This  done,  the  belt  conveys  them 
through  the  usual  steam  box  for  exhausting,  from  which  they  con- 
tinue to  the  automatic  double-seamer  capping  machine,  all  cans  used 
being  of  the  sanitary  type.  After  capping,  tney  are  placed  in  trays 
and  transferred  to  the  open-bath  processing  tank,  where  they  are 
allowed  to  remain  about  ;j()  minutes,  in  some  of  the  factories  this 
tank  is  a  long  affair  and  the  tray  is  suspended  by  a  chain  attached  to 
a  moving  track  near  the  ceihng.  This  moves  at  a  rate  slow  enough 
to  allow  the  tray  containing  the  cans  to  remain  in  the  processing  tank 
the  full  30  minutes.  At  tne  end  of  the  tank  the  carrying  track  is 
constructed  on  an  upgrade,  thereby  lifting  the  tray  ana  cans  bodily 
out  of  the  tank,  after  which,  by  a  down  grade  in  the  track,  the  tray 
is  lowered  into  the  cooling  tank  just  beyond.  The  cans  are  then 
tested  for  leaks  in  the  usual  way  and  sometimes  also  by  pressure  and 
by  sound. 

It  should  be  noted  that  in  the  method  described  the  fruit  is  prac- 
tically never  touched  by  the  human  hand  from  the  time  it  is  ])eeled, 
the  rubber  gloves  of  the  sorters  being  the  nearest  approach  to  it. 
Some  of  the  packei-s  use  cans  enameled  both  inside  and  outside,  while 
some  use  cans  enameled  on  the  outside  only,  and  there  are  a  number 
who  do  not  use  any  enamel  on  the  cans. 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY  OF   THE  WORLD. 
UTILIZATION  OF  FORMER  WASTE  PRODUCTS. 


13 


Within  the  last  year  or  two  a  demand  has  been  created  for  the 
cores,  which  were  formerly  thrown  away.  These  cores  are  not  unus- 
ually stringy  or  tough  in  the  ripe  fruit  of  the  Hawauan  pmeapple,  and 
make  a  much-liked  product  of  the  confectionery  trade  when  manu- 
factured into  chocolate-coated  or  glac6  pmeapple.  At  one  of  the 
factories  it  was  stated  that  the  demand  for  these  cores  was  greater 
than  the  supply  and  that  some  attempt  had  been  made  to  cut  the 
whole  pineapple  into  square  strips  about  the  size  of  the  core  to  cor- 
respond with  the  Singapore  chunks.  This  has  not  proved  altogether 
successful,  however,  because  the  flesh  is  too  tender  to  hold  together 
after  opening  the  cans  and  during  the  process  of  further  manufacture 
by  the  confectioners.  The  cores  are  usually  packed  whole,  but  a  few 
are  cut  into  shorter  lengths.  They  constitute  about  5  per  cent  of 
the  entire  pack.  One  of  the  larger  factories  has  been  unable  to 
dispose  of  aU  of  the  cores  produced,  and  this  suggests  that  a  proper 
campaign  among  the  confectioners  usin^  pmeapple  might  result  in 
the  substitution  of  Hawaiian  cores  for  Smgapore  chunks,  m  view  of 
the  superior  flavor  and  texture.  . 

The  greatest  waste  existing  up  to  the  present  time  m  packing  was 
from  the  loss  of  juice.     The  pineapples  as  brought  in  from  the  fields 
are  fully  ripe,  and  the  fruit  is  permeated  with  a  luscious  juice,  which 
is  pressed  out  and  wasted  at  every  process  of  cutting  and  haiidhng 
by  the  various  machines.     The  disposition  of  this  juice  had  become 
a  source  of  considerable  expense  during  the  busy  season,  and  in 
some  of  the  larger  canneries  more  than  10,000  gallons  were  daily 
pumped  into  the  sea.     To  avoid  this  expense,  several  of  the  factories 
have  commenced  bottling  the  juice.     One  of  the  methods  followed 
in  the  bottUng  is  as  follows :  After  being  caught  in  vessels  or  troughs 
placed  under  the  different  machines  the  juice  is  placed  m  a  press  and 
strainer  to  separate  it  from  any  particles  of  fruit  that  are  collected 
at  the  same  time.     It  is  then  pumped  through  aluminum  pipes 
(which  are  not  affected  bv  the  acid  of  the  fruit)  to  a  filter  through 
which  it  percolates.     It  is  then  brought  to  the  boiling  point  in  a 
silver-lined  vat,   after  which  it  is  bottled,  sealed,   and  processed. 
Great  care  is  taken  not  to  fill  the  bottles  too  full.     The  juice  is  not 
sweetened,  as  it  contains  about  7  per  cent  sugar  and  can  be  used  as  a 
beverage  without  sugar  or  water.     It  is  improved  by  the  addition 
of  crushed  ice.   'As  this  is  only  a  comparatively  new  product  the 
quantity  so  far  bottled  has  not  been  large.     If  the  market  can  be 
developed  as  rapidly  for  this  product  as  it  has  been  for  the  canned 
pineapple  itself,  a  valuable  addition  will  have  been  made  to  the 
earnings  of  the  various  canneries.     A  promising  market  for  this  juice 
should  be  found  in  tropical  countries  where  beverages  of  various 
sorts  are  constantly  used,  especially  in  the  countries  where  religious 
principles  have  made  the  inhabitants  total  abstainers  from  fermented 

or  strong  liquors.  .  „      .  .  ^  n 

Pineapple  juice  is  put  up  in  the  following  containers:  GaUon  cans; 

quart  bottles,  12  to  the  case;   pint  bottles,  24  to  the  case;   half-pmt 

bottles,  36  to  the  case;    and  quarter-pint  bottles,  72  to  the  case. 

The  output  in  1912  was  about  50,000  cases  of  pineapple  juice. 

Various  experiments  along  different  luies  have  been  made  durmg 

the  last  few  years  in  an  endeavor  to  find  a  use  for  this  juice  by-product 


(__ 


14 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE   WORLD. 


m  the  manufacture  of  alcohol,  vinegar,  or  other  experimental  prod- 
ucts, but  the  great  demands  already  made  upon  tne  various  com- 
panies in  koepmg  pace  with  the  growth  of  their  factories  or  in  the 
study  of  machineiT  fitted  to  simplify  the  preparation  of  fruit  for 
canning  have  made  it  impossible  to  devote  much  time  to  such 
experiments. 

What  promises  to  be  a  satisfactory  utilization  of  the  juice,  however, 
has  been  evolved  by  a  San  Francisco  firm  of  chemists  who,  in  March, 
1913,  began  some  laboratory  experimentation  with  the  idea  of  devel- 
oping processes  by  which  pineapple  juice  might  be  made  to  yield  a 
revenue.  A  systematic  research  was  conducted,  with  the  result  that 
definite  processes  and  products  apparently  of  a  satisfactory  quality 
were  developed.  One  of  these  was  the  extraction  of  sugar  from  the 
pineapple  juice,  which  could  be  used  as  sugar  sirup  in  canning,  thus 
rehevmg  the  pineapple  companies  of  the  necessity  of  purchasing 
sugar  for  canning  purposes.  The  first  step  was  to  interest  capital 
for  the  commercial  operation  of  these  processes.  Several  of  the 
largest  producers  of  pineai)ple  juice  were  approached  and  an  option 
askod  for  a  period  of  one  year  on  all  the  waste  juice  produced.  A 
small  commeicial  exneriment  was  carried  out  during  June,  July,  and 
August  of  1913,  and  sufTicient  sugar  sirup  was  produced  from  the 
juice  to  can  60  cases  of  pineapple.  This  sirup  was  submitted  to  the 
various  canners  and  thoroughly  approved  as  satisfactory.  Test  cuts 
were  made  of  the  pineapple  canned  with  this  sirup  and  seemed  thor- 
oughly satisfactory  durmg  the  following  fall  and  winter.  Contracts 
were  then  made  with  several  of  the  larger  factoiies  to  dehver  all  of 
their  waste  juice  to  the  new  concern  for  a  period  of  10  years  from 
June  1,  1915.  The  agreement  carried  with  it  the  repurchase  from  the 
new  concern  of  all  the  sugar  sirup  produced  fiom  the  waste  juice  at 
the  market  price  for  refined  sugar  on  the  unit  basis.  Tlie  net  profits 
resulting  from  the  recovery  of  the  waste  is  to  be  equally  divided 
between  the  pineapple  companies  and  the  new  sugar-producing  com- 
pany. The  contracts  allow  the  new  company  the  period  of  one  year 
m  which  to  erect  an  experimental  ])lant  sufficient  in  size  to  produce 
sirup  to  pack  10,000  cases  of  ])ineapple,  and  if  at  the  end  of  this 
experinient  the  sirup  proves  tlioroughly  satisfactory  and  the  cost  of 
recoscring  is  such  that  the  project  willprove  a  profitable  commercial 
undertaking,  the  10-year  contract  will  become  effective  and  the  new 
company  will  be  required  to  handle  all  of  the  wast^  juice  produced 
by  the  pineapple  companies  with  whom  they  have  made  this 
agreement. 

Buildings  and  equipment  costing  in  the  neigliborliood  of  $80,000 
are  now  being  constructed  and  will  be  capable  of  handling  50  tons  of 
waste  juice  per  day.  The  buildings  under  construction  are  three  in 
number— one  to  be  120  by  60  feet,  one  story  hi,t^h;  one  to  be  60  by 
40  feet,  throe  stories  high;  and  a  building  for  a  1 00-liorsepower  power 
plant.  This  factory  will  handle  50  tons  of  waste  per  day  of  10 
hours,  and  is  estimated  to  produce  5  tons  of  sugar  equal  to  10  tons 
of  canned  sirup.  '1  his  new  plant  is  located  near  two  of  the  largest 
pineapple-canning  estabhshments  in  Honolulu  and  the  waste  will  be 
carried  from  them  to  the  recovery  ])lant  l)y  a  ])ipe  line  and  the  sirup 
returned  to  the  canneries  by  the  same  method.  If  the  results  ob- 
tained from  this  $80,000  experiment  are  thoroughly  satisfactory  to 
the  producers  and  the  new  company,  the  contracts  call  for  an  enlarge- 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE  WORLD. 


15 


ment  of  the  plant  to  handle  250  tons  of  waste  per  day.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  since  the  ripening  of  the  pineapple  can  not  be  controlled,  it 
is  ])lanned  to  enlarge  the  plant  so  that  it  will  have  a  capacity  of 
approximately  500  tons  of  waste  per  day.  This  equipment  will  cost 
in  the  neighborhood  of  $250,000. 

No  attempt  will  be  made  at  first  to  produce  in  commercial  quan- 
tities other  ])roducts  that  are  recoverable  from  the  juice,  but  the 
ex])eriments  indicate  that  the  sugar  for  sirup  will  not  be  the  only 
product  that  will  eventually  be  recovered  in  the  new  plant. 

'i  he  experiments  of  making  fiber  from  the  leaves  of  pmeapple 
plants  that  are  no  longer  fit  for  bearing  fruit  seem  to  promise  a 
further  utilization  of  the  waste.  Experiments  carried  on  in  Hawau 
at  the  sisal  mills  produced  a  satisfactory  fiber. 

PRICES  AND  WEIGHTS. 

The  prices  given  in  the  following  table  are  for  the  1912  pack: 


Sires. 

Slices  to  can. 

Extra 
sliced. 

Extra 
grated  or 
crushed 

sweet. 

Extra 
prtited  or 
crushed 
in  juice. 

Standard 
sliced. 

Standard 

grated  or 

crushed 

sweet. 

Standard 
grated  or 
crushed 
in  juice. 

Tidbits. 

No.2i 

No.  2  squat 

No. -'taU 

No.  liaat 

No.  1,  or  buflet... 
No  8      

Sthick 

ethick 

10  thin 

4thick 

5tbin 

Per  dot. 
$2.()0 
1.6.') 
1.50 
1.30 
1.00 
6.00 

Per  doz. 
11.75 
1.55 
1.45 
1.30 
.95 
5.75 

Per  doz. 
11.60 

i.*35" 

4.75 

Per  doz. 
$1.75 

i.'35' 

*95' 

5.25 

Per  doz. 
$1.60 

i.'3o' 

."96' 

5.25 

Per  doz. 

Per  doz. 
$1.95 

i.'45 

i.'66 

S4.50 

5.00 

The  shipping  weights  per  case  of  the  foregoing  sizes  are  as  follows: 
No.  2i,  63  pounds,  2  dozen  to  the  case;  No.  2  squat,  49  pounds,  2 
dozen  to  the  case;  No.  2  tall,  44  pounds,  2  dozen  to  the  case;  No.  IJ 
flat,  63  pounds,  4  dozen  to  the  case;  No.  1,  or  buffet,  43  pounds,  4 
dozen  to  the  case;  No.  8,  1  dozen  to  the  case. 

The  net  weights  for  various  sizes  are  as  follows:  No.  2i,  in  sirup, 
1  pound  14  ounces;  No.  2i,  in  juice,  1  pound  13  ounces;  No.  2  tall, 
in  sirup,  1  poun<l  4  ounces;  No.  2  tall,  in  juice,  1  pound  3  ounces; 
No.  2  squat,  in  sirup  or  juice,  1  pound  3  ounces;  No.  2  squat,  special, 
in  sirup  or  juice,  1  pound  7  ounces;  No.  IJ,  in  sirup  or  juice,  14 
ounces;  No.  1,  in  sirup  or  juice,  9  ounces;  No.  J,  in  sirup  or  juice 
7  ounces;  No.  8  or  10,  in  sirup  or  juice,  6  pounds  or  over. 

The  prices  for  s])ecial  soda-fountain  crushed  pinea])ple,  packed  m 
extra  heavy  cane-sugar  sirup,  ready  for  use  at  soda  fountain,  were 
as  follows  in  1912:  No.  2  tall,  2  dozen  to  case,  $2.25  per  dozen; 
No.  5,  1  dozen  to  case,  $5.50;  No.  8,  1  dozen  to  case,  $8;  No.  2i, 
extra  whole,  sweet,  $2;  No.  2i,  extra  whole,  in  juice,  $1.85;  No.  8, 
cores  in  juice,  $2.50;  No.  8,  broken,  in  juice,  $4.50;  No.  8,  broken, 
sweet,  $5;  No.  8,  unsweetened  juice,  $3.75. 

CANNING  SEASON  AND  LABOR  PROBLEM. 

Owing  to  the  climate  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  and  the  fact  that 
the  temperature  does  not  vary  more  than  10  degrees  the  year  round, 
the  fruit  continues  to  ripen  throughout  the  year  to  some  extent;  as 
a  consequence  there  is  always  a  small  quantity  of  pineapple  being 
canned.    The  main  portion  of  the  crop,  however,  ripens  between 

64630*— 15-«— 3 


u 


16 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OP   THE  WOBLD. 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE   INDUSTRY   OF   THE   WORLD. 


17 


May  and  October,  August  being  the  principal  month.  This  has  the 
effect  of  requiring  more  labor  during  these  busy  months  than  can  be 
kept  busy  in  the  fields  and  factories  regularly.  The  fact  that  this 
busy  season  m  the  pmeapple  gathering  and  canning  is  to  some  extent 
the  off  season  in  the  sugar  industry  relieves  the  situation  somewhat, 
but  the  labor  problem  m  the  islands  is  fast  becoming  a  serious  one 
and  much  effort  has  been  made  to  induce  immigration  of  laboring 
classes  from  Russia,  Portugal,  Porto  Rico,  the  PhUippine  Island^ 
and  other  countries.  The  expense  incurred  is  provided  for  bv  a 
special  mcome  tax  supplemented  by  contributions  from  the  sugar 
and  pmeapple  mterests.  ^ 

• 

CULTIVATION  OP  THE  PINEAPPLE. 

The  islands  comprising  the  Hawaiian  group  are  of  volcanic  origin 
and  the  soils  have  been  formed  largely  from  the  basaltic  lava  bv 
chemical  changes,  dismtegration,  etc.  These  soils  vary  largely  de- 
pendmg  upon  the  altitude  at  which  they  are  found.  The  is^nds  are 
divided  usually  by  ranges  of  hills,  mountains,  or  volcanoes  attaining 
an  altitude  of  13,675  feet.     The  trade  winds  prevail  for  about  '^GO 

H?£f    tI     ^i*^f?u  ^^?^  ¥^^  *  ^^^^^  influence  upon  the  tempera- 

^^'^  The  side  of  the  islands  exposed  to  these  wincfe  is  known  as  the 

wmdwardj'  side.     The  backbone  of  the  islands  acts  as  a  condenser 

of  the  moisture  earned  by  the  trade  winds,  with  the  result  that  there 

«!/o'^'J^  fl^^^f  ''f'^/'ll  ^J"  ^^®  windward  side  than  on  the  leeward 
side.  On  the  island  of  Oahu,  upon  which  the  greater  portion  of  the 
pmeapp  es  are  grown,  the  backbone  of  mountains  divides  the  island 
mieauaUy,  leaving  the  greater  proportion  of  tillable  land  on  the  lee- 

T^o  nf  ^ri'^^''-^  ^}\?  S'^^  ""^  Honolulu,  the  chief  seaport,  is  located. 
This  tillable  land  m  the  lower  altitudes  is  given  up  almost  entirely  to 
sugar-cane  culture  but  the  level  plateau,  known  as  the  Wehaiwa 
plateau,  with  an  altitude  of  500  to  1,200  feet,  has  been  appropriated 
exclusivehr  for  pmeapple  production.  In  this  locality  tte  rainfall 
seems  sufficient  and  tfie  soil  well  suited  for  pineapples,  except  for  the 
exc^s  of  manganese,  which  gives  the  plants  a  somewhat  yellow  color 
vet  does  not  seem  to  affect  the  flavor  or  quantity  unfavorably  The 
land  on  this  plateau  is  comparatively  level  and  can  be  plowed  bv 
traction  engines  or  other  power  machinery  drawing  a  number  of 
plows.  Various  types  of  tractors  are  in  use,  the  most  satisfactory 
apparently  bemg  of  the  caterpiUar  type  or  those  having  wheels  with 
broad  beanng  surfaces.  Although  tte  soil  is  loose  and  spongy  it 
packs  below  the  depth  of  ordinary  cultivation,  so  that  itibecomes 
necessary  to  plow  to  a  great  depth  (even  as  much  as  26  inches)  every 
fewvears  to  allow  aeration  as  well  as  to  aid  m  drainage. 

Ihe  pmeapple  plant  matures  and  bears  18  months  after  planting. 

w!S  In?  ^"^^/"^^  Jf  ^^^'  ^f:^''?^  or  sprouts  spring  from  between  the 
leaves  below  the  fruit.  Ordmanly  two  of  these  ratoons  on  each  plant 
are  allowed  to  remam  for  a  second  crop,  which  matures  in  12  months 
while  the  remainder  are  removed  and  the  best  used  for  starting  new 
plants.  New  plants  are  also  grown  from  the  tops,  which  are  cut  from 
the  omeapples  and  allowed  to  remain  in  the  field  from  10  days  to  2 
weeks  before  plantmg,  experience  having  taught  that  tops  set  out  too 
soon  after  bemg  cut  off  would  rot  ancf  not  set  out  roots.  A  third 
ratoon  crop  is  sometimes  allowed  to  grow  after  the  second  crop  has 


been  harvested,  but  it  is  usually  more  satisfactory  to  plow  the  soil 
deeply  and  start  an  entirely  new  planting. 

The  planting  distances  vary.  The  plants  used  per  acre  run  from 
'^SOO  to  12,000.  Planting  closely  has  the  effect  of  producing  a 
smaller  pineapple,  which  is  desired  by  the'canners  for  the  purpose 
of  reducing  the  loss  in  ''sizing"  to  the  diameter  of  the  cans.  (>n 
some  plantations  the  pineapples  are  planted  in  rows  4  feet  apart  and 
spaced  18  inches  or  2  feet  in  the  rows.  Others  are  planted  in  beds  of 
two,  three,  or  four  rows,  with  alleys  between  each  bed  for  cultivatini; 
and  harvesting.  On  one  of  the  newer  plantations  on  the  windward 
side  of  the  island,  the  plants  were  set  out  2  feet  by  2  feet,  with  the  idea 
of  obtaining  a  larger  crop  of  small  pineapples  (3  to  4  pounds)  the  first 
year  of  bearing.     The  chief  difficulty  in  this  case  is  that  of  harvesting 

A  new  pineapple-growing  district  on  the  island  of  Oahu  has  been 
developed  within  the  last  few  years  on  the  narrower  windward  side  of 
the  island.  While  this  district  is  smaller  than  the  Wehaiwa  district 
and  has  a  very  limited  area  of  level  land,  there  are  several  advantages 
that  offset  the  greater  difficulties  of  cultivation.  The  greater  rainfall 
is  a  matter  of  vital  importance,  and  the  absence  of  manganese  found 
in  the  Wehaiwa  district  is  also  an  advantage.  The  undulating  and 
even  precipitous  character  of  the  land  available  for  cultivation  is  a 
serious  drawback,  however.  The  overcoming  of  this  obstacle  is  truly 
remarkable,  and  the  various  steep  hillsides  and  ravines  planted  m 
lines  or  in  plats  following  the  different  slopes  give  a  striking  effect 
where  the  green  rows  show  out  plainly  against  the  red  soil. 

Soma  of  the  hillside  plowaag  can  be  accomplished  only  by  mule 
teams,  yet  the  area  under  cultivation  is  niinually  increasing  m  this 
section  iTi  spite  of  these  difficidties.  The  new  canning  factory  of 
Lihby,  McNeill  &  Libbv  is  located  i\  this  district  near  the  shore. 
This 'is  one  of  the  largest  and  newest  plants  on  the  islands.  Tha 
finished  product  from  this  cannery  is  carried  around  the  island  to 
Honolulu  in  small  boats  owned  by  the  company.  Some  of  the 
material  used  is  carried  across  the  ridge  in  automobile  trucks. 

There  is  practically  only  one  variety  of  pineapple  grown  on  tha 
islands— the  Smooth  Cayenne.  For  a  number  of  years,  before  th3 
commercial  growing  of  pineapples,  a  native  variety  resembling  the 
Spai.ish  Red  was  grown,  but  this  was  of  small  siz3  and  not  equal  in 
flavor  to  the  Smooth  Cayenne.  After  the  introduction  of  the  new 
type,  the  size  and  flavor  peculiar  to  the  Hawaiian  pineapple  soon 
attracted  attention  and  now  this  variety  is  the  estai^Ushed  type. 

GENERAL  REMARKS. 

The  climate  and  soil  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  together  with  the 
success  of  the  Smooth  Cayenne  variety  of  pineapple  under  the  con- 
ditions prevailing  there,  has  produced  a  most  successful  fruit  with  a 
flavor  as  fine  as  can  be  found  in  any  section  of  the  world.  The 
modern  well-ventilated  buildinp:s  and  nearly  automatic  equipment 
of  the  various  plants  and  the  small  amount  of  handling  during  the 
different  processes  of  canning  leave  little  to  be  desired  in  the  matter 
of  cleanliness.  That  changes  along  certain  lines  will  be  made  seems 
unquestionable.  The  great  waste  of  juice  will  be  overcome  as 
experiments  show  a  satisfactory  use  to  which  it  can  be  put  or  the 


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CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE   WORLD. 


19 


piil)lic  acquires  a  taste  for  it  as  quickly  as  it  did  for  the  pineapple 
itself.  It  would  also  seem  that  larger  slices  should  be  packed  in 
shorter  cans  of  greater  diameter.  Such  superior  slices  coxud  le  sold 
as  a  fancy  brand,  and  while,  of  course,  some  new  or  additional 
machinery  would  be  needed,  it  would  permit  the  utilization  of  the 
finest  fniit  %vithout  the  necessity  of  placing  so  much  of  the  I  est  por- 
tion of  the  fruit  in  tha  lower  grades. 

PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 

That  the  Philippine  Islands  may  become  an  important  factor  in  the 
canned-pineapple  industry  Icfore  many  yeais  is  indicated  ly  the 
beginning:  made  Ly  the  Philippine  Pineapple  Co.,  incoij)orated  in 
1912.  This  company,  made  up  entirely  of  Americans,  nas  gained 
from  the  exj)erience  of  the  Hawaiian  pineapple  cann.eries  and  is  start- 
ing with  the  adyautags  of  perfected  machinery,  a  modern  plant,  and 
much  k-owledge  of  methods  necessary  to  successful  culture. 

The  Philippine  Pineapple  Co.  is  capitalized  at  $50,000  gold,  and  has 
an  ollice  in  Mai  ila.  The  company's  canning  plant  and  pineapj^le 
plantation  is  located  at  Pinelands  near  Cabanatuan,  Xueya  Ecija, 
in  the  northeastern  portion  of  the  island  of  Luzon. 

The  plantation  consists  of  a  leasehold  of  about  2,500  acres  of  pul  lie 
land  under  a  25-year  lease.  Of  this  land  about  150  acres  are  now 
under  cultivation  and  planted  in  pineapples.  The  cultiyated  area 
will  be  increased  annually.  The  Smooth  Cayenne  variety  of  pine- 
apple so  satisfactory  in  Hawaii  has  i  eeii  the  only  variety  planted, 
and  the  soil,  like  that  in  Hawaii,  is  of  vokuir.ic  origin.  The  fust 
500,000  plants  set  out  should  ripen  in  1914. 

The  cannery  is  a  building  76  feet  bjr  120  feet,  two  stories  high  in 
the  center,  and  is  equipped  with  American  and  Hawaiian  machinery 
of  the  most  up-to-date  type.  The  fruit-handling  machinery,  which 
has  a  capacity  of  32,000  cases  per  month,  was  ol)taii  ed  from  the 
'  Honolulu  Iron,  Works;  the  canning  machinery  has  been  suppUed  by 
the  Max-Ams  Co.,  of  New  York. 

As  there  are  no  can-making  factories  in  the  Philippines  it  has  been 
necessary  to  install  can-making  machinery  at  the  plant,  as  is  the  case 
in  all  Far  Eastern  canning  plants.  The  Philippine  Pineappl?  Co.  has 
installed  Max-Ams  apparatus  with  a  capacity  of  1^0,000  sanitary 
cans  per  month.  The  power  plant  for  the  establishment  was  ol  tained 
from  the  Kingsland  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  New  York.  With  the 
installation  of  some  additional  units  the  capacity  of  the  cannery  can 
be  increased  from  its  present  possible  output  of  32,000  cases  per 
month  to  100,000  cases  per  month. 

Since  the  first  pack  is  to  be  made  in  1914  it  is  difTicult  to  state  how 
well  the  product  will  be  able  to  compete  with  the  Singapore  and 
other  Far  Eastern  pineapples  in  price,  nut  in  quality  and  attractive- 
ness it  will  be  greatly  superior  to  any  of  the  crudely  prepared  oriental 
products. 

SINGAPORE. 

The  quantity  of  canned  pineapple  annually  exported  from  Singa- 
pore for  the  last  20  years  has  created  in  many  parts  of  the  world  a 
"chop"  (as  the  Chinese  characterize  trade-mark)  for  Singapore 
pineapple.    Until  the  advent  of  the  Hawaiian  canned  pineapple 


into  the  market  Singapore  probably  canned  more  pineapple  than 
any  other  district  in  the  world. 

Singapore  City  is  located  on  Sini^apore  Island,  a  part  of  the  English 
colony  known  as  the  Straits  Settlements.  The  city  is  probably  the 
most  cosmopolitan  in  the  world,  for  everjr  nation  of  the  Far  East  is 
represented,  as  well  as  the  commercial  nations  of  Europe.  There  are 
also  a  few  Americans.  No  nation,  however,  has  shown  the  same 
adaptability  to  business  conditions  as  the  Chinese,  who  have  gained 
control  of  most  of  the  small  retail  business. 

It  is  interesting  to  watch  the  progress  of  the  newcomer  from 
China.  He  may  be  practically  penniless,  and  nearly  naked,  but  by 
patience,  sobriety,  willingness  to  accept  any  character  of  work,  and 
to  work  long  hours,  he  will  in  a  year  or  two  improve  his  condition  by 
saving  out  of  an  income  that  would  spell  starvation  for  a  white  man. 
It  is  not  long  before  he  is  in  business  for  himself,  perhaps,  as  a  be- 
ginning, with  a  cooking  outfit  slung  on  a  bamboo  pole  across  his 
shoulder.  He  is  next  found  in  a  tiny  building  of  his  own,  and  is  soon 
ready  to  take  part  in  the  larger  enterprises.  It  is  not  strange,  then, 
to  find  the  entu^e  Singapore  pineapple  industry  in  the  hanos  of  the 
Chinese;  all  of  the  14  factories  are  owned  and  operated  exclusively 
by  them.  The  same  steady  advance  made  by  the  individual  China- 
man is  to  be  noted  in  the  companies  of  Chinese  pineapple  manufac- 
turers. They  have  acquired  the  various  pineapple  factories  from  the 
original  foreign  owners,  or  from  weaker  owners  of  their  own  nation- 
ality, until  now  the  14  factories  are  controlled  by  9  companies,  some 
of  which  show  signs  of  merging  into  the  larger  concerns  at  an  early 

date. 

The  first  pineapple-canning  establishment  was  opened  about  25 
years  ago  by  an  Austrian,  Mr.  Landau,  and  his  sons,  m  the  independ- 
ent Malay  State  of  Jahor,  immediately  adjacent  to  the  island  of 
Singapore.  Mr.  Landau,  and  later  his  sons,  operated  this  plant 
successfully  for  a  number  of  years,  but  finally  sold  out  to  one  of 
the  Chinese  firms  that  had  in  the  meanwhile  begun  operations  on 
the  island  of  Singapore.  This  company,  known  as  the  Jit  Sin  Co., 
is  the  largest  and  most  successful  of  the  pineapple  companies.  It 
owns  or  controls  4  of  the  14  factories  in  Singapore,  and  also  owns 
and  operates  an  establishment  at  Bang-Kla,  Siam,  which  was  opened 
three  years  ago.  The  total  output  of  these  14  factories  is  about 
600,000  to  700,000  cases  per  annum,  24  to  48  cans  to  the  case,  accord- 
ing to  sizes.    The  exports  for  1912  amounted  to  580,000  cases. 

FACTORIES  AND  EQUIPMENT. 

About  one-half  of  the  factories  are  located  in  the  city  of  Singapore 
itself;  the  others  are  in  the  suburbs,  and  one  is  located  in  the  pine- 
apple district  7  miles  from  the  city.  Practically  none  of  them  nave 
modern  buildings.  Those  in  the  more  closely  built-up  sections  of 
the  city  are  remodeled  buildings,  with  large  open  sheds  constructed 
in  the  yards  or  courts  in  the  rear  of  the  main  building.  All  are  of 
simple  construction,  and  are  equipped  with  few  labor-saving  devices. 

Those  in  the  suburbs  are  better  rrorn  the  sanitary  point  of  view,  as 
well  as  from  the  standpoint  of  convenience.  The  factory  site  in  the 
suburbs  xisually  occupies  from  one-half  to  an  acre  of  land,  and  con- 
sists of  a  series  of  one-storied  spreading  sheds,  mostly  open,  having 


20 


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CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE  WORLD. 


21 


the  advantage  at  least  of  aUowing  ample  light  and  air.  Not  one  of 
the  factories  represents  any  great  investment  of  money;  in  fact,  a 
number  of  them  are  buildings  originally  erected  for  other  purposes, 
which,  having  failed,  made  possible  the  purchase  or  rent  of  the  build- 
ings at  a  low  figure.  One,  for  example,  was  originally  constructed 
as  a  series  of  cow  or  bullock  barns,  and  is  in  fact  the  most  substantial 
building  used  as  a  factory  on  the  island,  having  cement  floors  through-* 
out,  and  brick  and  cement  columns  supporting  tile  roofs.  In  all  of 
the  factories,  however,  cement  floors  are  to  be  found,  probably  as  a 
protection  against  the  ants  rather  than  for  sanitary  reasons.  How- 
ever, the  fruit-handling  equipment  in  the  majority  of  these  factonc^ 
is  most  primitive  and  meager.  Long  wooden  tables  are  surrounded 
by  high  wooden  four-logged  stools,  upon  which  the  Chinese  coohe 
workere  squat  in  orientalfashion;  many  of  the  coolies,  however,  squat 
on  the  tables,  where  they  have  a  firmer  position  and  are  closer  to  the 

There  is  no  machinery  for  preparing  the  fruit  for  the  cans,  all  of 
this  work  bemg  done  by  hand.  The  siruping  is  done  by  hand,  and  m 
the  majority  of  cases  the  capping,  soldering,  and  placing  of  the  caM 
in  the  processing  vats  and  then*  removal  are  also  done  by  nand. 
There  are  absolutely  no  conveyors  or  other  labor-saving  devices 
used  in  the  actual  canning  of  the  fruit.  The  only  equipment  of 
modern  type  besides  the  iron  processing  kettles  is  the  double-seaming 
a])paratus.  As  all  of  the  cans  used  by  each  factory  are  manufactured 
at  the  factory  certain  can-making  machinery  has  been  absolutely 
necessary,  but  except  in  a  few  cases  this  is  of  the  simplest  form 
and  in  many  cases  of  the  most  antiquated  type.  Usually  this  can- 
making  machinery  is  located  in  a  separate  portion  of  the  factory, 
although  not  necessarily  so,  as  the  solderers  or  the  double-seamer 
machines  must  be  near  at  hand  to  cap  and  solder  the  filled  cans 
before  they  are  immersed  in  the  processing  kettles. 

METHODS  OF  CANNING. 

The  pineapples  are  usually  dehvered  at  the  factory  in  bullock  carts 
from  the  country  plantations  7  to  10  miles  away,  or  sometinaes  by 
small  native  boats  called  '' sampans"  on  the  canals  or  branches  of 
creeks  that  run  through  the  city  and  suburbs.  Many  of  the  canneries 
have  erected  small  sheds  along  the  canal  front  where  the  pineapples 
are  unloaded  from  the  sampans.  Here,  after  the  top  crown  is  cut 
off,  the  pmeapples  are  sorted  into  large  baskets.  These  baskets  are 
then  carried  direct  to  the  long  tables  of  the  preparing  sheds  by  coohes, 
each  basket  containing  about  30  pmeapples.  The  pineapples  average 
about  3  pounds,  not  many  larger  fruits  being  received.  The  largest 
fruits  are  then  taken  to  the  tables  where  whole  or  shced  pmeapple 
is  prepared  for  the  can,  while  the  smaller  sizes  are  taken  to  tables 
to  be  cut  into  chunks  or  cubes. 

All  of  the  work  is  done  by  Chinese  men,  usually  brought  from 
Amoy  or  Swatow,  China.  All  preparation  is  done  by  hand,  the 
equipment  consisting  of  the  broad  table,  one  rubber  glove  m  which 
the  pineapple  is  held,  and  a  broad  knife  with  a  short  handle,  the  blade 
being  about  9  inches  long  and  5  inches  broad.  In  preparing  the 
pineapple  for  canning  whole  or  in  shces,  the  coohe  grasps  the  pine- 
apple in  his  rubber-gloved  hand,  proceeds  to  pare  the  rind  from  the 
fruit  by  a  continuous  series  of  cuts  or  jerks,  removing  the  rind  from 


the  main  portion  of  the  fruit  as  one  thin  strip.  A  second  cut  pares 
the  rind  from  the  receding  portion  of  one  end,  and  a  third  cut  pares 
the  rind  from  the  receding  portion  of  the  other  end.  A  slice  is  then 
taken  from  each  end  of  the  fruit,  removing  all  trace  of  the  stem  on  the 
base  and  of  the  top.  As  the  removal  of  this  thin  tough  rind  in  no  way 
ehminatcs  the  eves  from  the  fruit,  these  are  taken  out  by  the  next 
( (.olio  at  the  long  table.  The  removal  of  the  rind  requires  consider- 
able dexterity,  as  just  enough  must  be  removed  to  leave  the  pineapple 
the  size  to  fit  a  can  (two  sizes  are  usually  cut).  After  the  rind  is 
removed  each  fruit  as  cut  is  tried  in  the  sample  can  located  con- 
venientlv  near  the  coohe,  and  if  of  the  right  size,  is  passed  on  to  the 
next  operation;  otherwise  a  small  additional  shaving  is  given  to 
make  a  proper  fit.  The  paring  consumes  about  one  minute  per 
pineapple,  including  the  handUng  and  trial  fitting  in  the  can. 

The  next  step  is 'the  removal  of  the  eyes.     The  eyes  are  arranged 
in  spiral  fines  around  the  fruit,  running  diagonally  from  top   to 
bottom,  and  as  they  extend  into  the  body  of  the  fruit  for  quite  a 
depth,  the  removal  of  an  outer  circular  section  of  the  flesh   deep 
enough  to  clear  the  fruit  of  eyes,  as  is  done  with  the  larger  fruit  of 
Hawaii,  would  leave  entirely  too  small  a  fruit  to  fill  a  single  can 
and  also  remove  a  great  portion  of  the  best  part  of  the  flesh.     The 
smallness  of  the  Singapore  pineapple  and  its  rather  dry  and  fibrous 
ilesh  as  compared  with  the  large  juicy  Hawaiian  pineapple  is  very 
marked.     It  is  impossible  to  remove  as  much  of  the  tender  exterior 
flesh  as  is  done  in  Hawaii  because  the  center  of  the  fruit  is  tough  and 
inferior.     The  eyes  themselves  are  therefore  removed.     They  are  not 
removed  singly  but  in  the  spiral  fines  in  whic^h  they  are  placed;  the 
triangular  groove  is  cut  by  hand.     This  operation,  while  laborious, 
is  interesting  because  of  the  dexterity  with  which  it  is  accomplished. 
The  coohe  grasps  the  pared  pineapple  in  his  rubber-gloved  hand, 
and  with  his  knife  in  the  other  makes  his  first  diagonal  cut  on  an 
angle  covering  about  three  eyes  at  a  stroke.     The  second  similar  cut 
at  an  opposite  angle  completes  the  removal  of  a  triangular  strip 
containing  from  two  to  three  eyes.    He  then  proceeds,  revolving  the 
fruit  and  making  these  inverted  triangular  grooves  spu-ally  anmnd 
the  fruit,  requiring  an  average  of  70  to  80  separate  strokes  to  remove 
all  of  the  eyes  from  a  pineapple.    So  dexterous  are  these  coohes  that 
the  operation  of  removing  the  eyes  from  a  pineapple  consumes  only 
about  one  and  three-fourths  to  two  minutes.     The  appearance  of  the 
pineapple  when  the  operation  is  completed  can  hardlj'  be  said  to  be 
attractive.     The  irregular  spiral  grooves  and  remaining  traces  of 
eyes  leave  the  friut  with  a  somewhat  ragged  corkscrew  appearance. 

Usually  these  pineapples  are  immediately  placed  in  shallow  scoop- 
Hke  baskets  and  taken  to  the  tables,  where  they  are  slipped  into 
cans— many  being  canned  whole.  If  they  are  to  be  sliced,  a  small 
wooden  stand  is  placed  on  the  table.  On  the  top  of  this  stand  two 
narrow  strips  of  wood  are  nailed  far  enough  apart  to  allow  the  pine- 
apple to  pass  between  them.  The  knife  slides  along  these  strips  of 
wood  and  slices  the  pineapple  held  in  position  by  the  rubber-gloved 
hand  of  the  operator.  The  shces  are  then  placed  in  the  tins  at  the 
next  table,  to  which  they  are  carried  in  baskets  or  tin  buckets  by 

coolies. 

When  the  pijieapples  are  to  be  cut  into  chunks  or  cubes,  an  en- 
tirely different  method  of  handling  prevails.    The  first  operator  tak- 


22 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY  OF   THE   WORLD. 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE   WORLD. 


23 


ing  the  pineapple  from  the  basket  cuts  a  slice  from  each  end  of  the 
fruit.  He  then  removes  the  rinds  by  eight  vertical  cuts,  leaving  the 
fruit  in  octagonal  form,  with  parts  of  rind  and  all  the  eyes  showing. 
He  then  proceeds  by  four  vertical  cuts  to  slice  the  octagonal-shaped 
fruit  into  five  slices.  The  first  and  the  last  are  thin  and  full  of  eyes, 
and  the  outer  edges  of  the  three  remaining  slices  are  also  full  of  eyes. 
The  portions  containing  eyes  are  chopped  up  into  irregular  pieces 
approximately  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long  and  form  the  very  in- 
ferior cubes  for  local  and  cheap  Chinese  consumption.  The  three 
central  slices  are  in  turn  cut  into  pieces  about  three-fourths  of  an 
inch  square  by  2i  inches  long,  called  '*  chunks,'*  and  the  outer  cd^es 
containing  eyes  go  into  the  inferior  classes  of  cubes.  If  any  portion 
of  the  sections  that  are  to  be  cut  into  chunks  show  rot,  or  such  traces 
of  eyes  as  spoil  their  appearance,  they  are  cut  into  cubes  about  three- 
fourths  inch  square.  These  cubes  go  to  China  or  other  less  exacting 
markets.  The  cutting  of  a  pineapple  into  chunks  and  cubes  calls  for 
approximately  30  separate  cuts  ol  the  knife  per  pineapple  and  about 
30  to  40  additional  movements  of  the  hand  to  place  the  fruit  or 
slices  in  position  for  the  next  cut.  Care  and  attention  is  required 
not  only  m  secuiing  uniform  sizes  and  shapes  but  in  eliminating  por- 
tions of  remaining  eyes  and  specks  of  rot.  The  average  time  con- 
sumed in  preparing  a  pineapple  for  chunks  or  cubes  by  a  fairly  expert 
coolie  is  about  two  nunutes,  but  there  is  loss  of  time  in  the  handling 
and  sorting  that  makes  it  impossible  to  average  a  pineapple  every 
two  minutes  steadily.  The  speed  and  facility  with  which  tnese  men 
accomplish  the  work  is  very  remarkable,  nevertheless. 

The  filling  of  the  cans  with  the  fruit  of  different  grades  and 
styles  is  done  at  different  tables,  to  which  baskets  or  buckets  of  pre- 

Sared  fruit  are  brought  by  coolies  from  the  preparing  tables.  After 
Ihng,  they  are  again  carried  to  the  siruping  table  in  trays  of  wooden 
slats  slung  by  ropes  from  short  poles  suspended  between  the  shoulders 
of  two  coolies.  This  is  a  large  table  covered  with  galvanized  sheet 
iron,  in  the  center  of  which  the  copper  sirup  kettle  is  placed.  The 
sirup  is  dipped  from  the  kettle  in  large  ladles  and  poured  irregularly 
over  the  cans  placed  on  the  table,  tne  excess  sirup  draining  off  at 
the  corners  of  the  table  to  buckets  placed  underneath,  which  are 
emptied  when  full  into  the  main  sirup  Kettle  in  the  center  of  the  table. 
The  waste  and  uncleanliness  of  such  a  system  is  obvious.  Two  formu- 
las are  used  for  making  sirup,  one  of  which  calls  for  one-half  picul 
(66 §  pounds)  of  sugar  to  one-half  picul  of  water  and  the  other  one- 
fourth  picul  (33 J  pounds)  of  sugar  to  three-fourths  picul  (100  pounds) 
of  water.  The  sugar  and  water  are  boiled  down  in  a  large  bell-metal 
kettle. 

The  cans  are  now  removed  to  the  solderers  except  where  double 
seamers  have  been  installed.  Two  solderers  have  a  charcoal  fire 
between  them,  from  the  heat  of  which  they  are  protected  by  a  rough 
board.  The  stand  for  receiving  the  cans  ready  for  soldering  is  usually 
far  too  small,  and  the  revolving  wheel  upon  which  each  can  is  placed 
by  the  solderer  for  the  application  of  tne  top  is  a  homemade  affair 
revolved  by  the  foot  of  the  operator.  As  they  are  soldered  or  the  tops 
applied  by  the  double-seamer  machines,  the  cans  are  gathered  again  by 
coolies,  who  place  them  in  wooden-slatted  racks  suspended  by 
ropes  from  a  wooden  pole  and  take  them  to  the  processing  vats. 
These  vats  seem  to  be  uniform  in  all  of  the  factories.    The  Doilers 


for  the  generation  of  steam,  which  are  practically  all  furnished  by 
the  firm  of  Riley,  ITargrea^es  &  jCo.  (Ltd.),  of  Smgapore,  are  ar- 
rant^ed  for  about  100  pounds  pressure  and  are  connected  with  the 
vats  by  pipes  that  form  a  coil,  pierced  by  holes,  in  the  bottom  of 
each  vat.  The  vats  are  riveted  sheet-iron  tanks  about  3  feet  by  5 
feet  in  size  and  2i  feet  deep.  These  are  filled  with  water  by  hand 
and  the  steam  turned  into  the  pipes  leading  to  the  coils.  The  steam 
escaping  from  the  holes  in  the  coils  heats  the  water  to  the  boiling 
point  Wooden  covers  are  sometimes  used  in  the  second  processing 
to  maintain  the  temperature.  The  exhausting  is  done  in  these  vats 
for  about  four  to  five  minutes,  after  which  the  racks  containing  the 
cans  are  lifted  by  the  coolies  and  carried  suspended  on  the  short  poles 
to  a  table,  where  they  are  vented  by  means  of  a  tap  with  a  sharp  in- 
strument. They  are  then  resealed  by  one  of  the  solderers,  who  hrst 
applies  acid  with  a  small  brush  and  then  a  drop  of  solder  to  close 
each  vent  hole.  The  racks  containing  the  cans  are  then  carried  to 
the  vats  once  more  and  processed  at  212°  F.,  or  the  boiling  point, 
for  half  an  hour,  after  which  they  are  removed  and  carried  to  the 
packing  room  without  being  cooled  in  cold  water.  In  the  packing 
room  they  are  stacked  ready  for  labelmg  and  packmg. 

There  seems  to  be  absolutely  no  thought  of  conveyers  of  any  sort 
in  any  of  the  factories  except  the  half-naked  barefoot  coohes,  whose 
feet  are  so  hardened  as  to  be  insensible  to  the  effects  of  boiling  water 
dripping  from  the  racks  of  newly  processed  cans  or  the  cUppings  of 
tin  Irom  the  can-making  machines.  This  labor  is,  of  course,  cheap, 
but  as  a  result  of  the  numbers  required  the  method  is  bardly  as  eco- 
nomical and  certainly  not  so  rapid  as  the  conveyer  method  of  handhng 
the  cans  and  fruit.  The  crowded  conditions  of  the  factories  and  the 
lack  of  any  sequence  in  the  arrangement  of  tables  or  machinery  result 
in  a  most  confused  and  seemingly  aimless  stream  of  conveyer  coohes 
hurrying  back  and  forth  from  table  to  table  and  between  machmes. 

MACHINERY.  SUPPLIES,  AND  LABOR. 

Practically  the  only  machinery  used  in  the  canning  factories  of 
Singapore  is  found  in  the  can-making  sections.  There  is  practically 
no  machinery  used  in  the  preparation  of  the  fruit.  Each  factory  has 
been  obhged  to  purchase  the  sheet  tin  and  make  it  into  cans  for  its 
own  use.  At  first  the  very  crudest  machinery  and  most  inexpensive 
outfits  were  purchased,  and  in  several  of  the  factories  these  are  still  in 
use.  Tlie  hand  cutter  for  cutting  the  body  of  the  can  from  the  sheets 
is  still  generally  used,  as  in  many  cases  is  the  primitive  body  cTirler. 
Screw-type  and  lever-type  presses  for  stamping  tops  and  bottoms  are 
found  in  each  factory;  "^in  some,  however,  relegated  to  an  unused  cor- 
ner by  the  introduction  of  improved  American  or  German  power 
presses.  Ten  out  of  the  total  number  of  14  factories  have  installed 
modern  double-seaming  apparatus,  but  the  number  in  use  is  hmited — 
five  double  seamers  being  the  greatest  number  found  in  any  one 
factory,  and  that  a  factory  packing  60,000  to  100,000  cases  a  year. 
No  automatic  self-feeding  power  double  seamers  are  used,  and  as  no 
factory  is  fitted  with  a  steam  box  exhauster,  it  is  necessary  to  vent 
and  resolder  all  the  cans,  even  the  sanitary  type,  by  hand.  In  four 
factories  all  of  the  soldering  of  seams  and  also  of  tops  is  done  by  hand. 
Only  the  cheapness  of  the  labor  makes  the  continuance  of  such  a 
system  possible. 


24 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY  OP   THE   WOBLD. 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTEY  OF   THE  WORLD. 


25 


.hllZ  tt  is  Piu-chased  from  England.    The  cost  per  case  of  112 
Sncy  \$3.69^''goW  ^^^g^^^g  112  pounds,  is  $6.50  Straits  cur- 

.o^^.t^^fHvf'*^  ^  ?^  ?^P^''  litWaphed  in  England,  either  with  the 
name  of  the  manufacturer  or  of  tLe  agent.    No  label  machines  are  to  be 

LaTpk  !?n^lTr/^V^.''''^  "^^^^  ^.r^  accomplished  by  hand  labor. 
IjabeLs  cost  $2.2.5  Straits  currency  ($1.28  gold) 

Boxes  cost  14  cents  gold  each.  Pineapples  cost  0.8  to  1 .7  cents  gold 
each,  dehvered  at  the  factory.  ^ 

Two  methods  of  paying  labor  are  in  vogue.  The  more  efficient 
laborers,  who  are  paid  by  the  month  and  are  utilized  in  can  making 
and  other  work  during  off  seasons,  receive  from  $5.67  to  $11.35  ffolcf 
the  latter  price  for  the  superintendent.  The  laborers  receive,  in  Addi- 
tion, sleeping  quarters  and  board.  The  other  workmen  are  paid  bv 
the  ]nece-so  much  for  preparing  sufficient  pineapples  for  100  cans. 
For  preparing  whole  pineapples  (i.  e.,  removing  rind  and  eyes)  for 
ISO  1  and  Ko.  IJ  cai^,  17  cents  gold  per  100  cans  is  paid,  and  for 
cutting  chunks  and  cubes  22  cents  gold.  Some  factories  pay  1 1  cents 
gold  for  simply  removing  the  eyes  per  100  pineapples. 

OUTPUT  OP  PACTORIES. 

,    The  names  and  addresses  of  the  Singapore  factories,  with  the  approx- 
fX^^Table^^^^*  ^  ^'^^^  ^^  *^^  owners,  are  given  in  the 


Jit  Sin  Co.,  21  North  Boat  Quay.,., 

Heng  Sin  &  Co.,  Sumbaya  Road 

Jit  Cheon,  Lavender  Road 

Branch  at  Jailor,  State  of  Jahor. . 

Tai  Thong  &  Co.,  Seletar  Road  suburbs 

of  Singapore  near  pineapple  field . 
Tai  Bee  «t  Co.,  1  Paya  Road,  controlled 

by  Tai  Thong  &  Co. 
Siii  Heng  &  Co.,  881  Serangoon  Road,... 


•300,000 


100,000 

7,000 
80,000 


Sin  Kee  Seng  Co.,  1228  Serangoon  Road 
Guan  Kee  &  Co.,  1235  Serangoon  Road' 
(owned  and  operated  by  Sin  Kee  Bene). 
Hup  San  &  Co.,  80  St.  Michaels  Road 
Tai  Chuan,  53  Grove  Road....     ""**"•- 
Sin  Chong  Hin  Co.,  55  Singei  Road. '.','." 
Tai  Hin  &  Co.,  35  Sumbaya  Road 
Nam  Kee  &  Co.,  19  Kalang  Road  (cloeed) 


Total. 


60,000 

60,000 
60.000 
40,000 

ao,ooo 


727,000 


•  Total  output  of  companies  controlled  by  Jit  Sin  Co. 

The  proprietors  of  these  establishments  do  not  speak  English  and 
the  majority  were  not  willing  to  furnish  as  much  information  through 
an  interpreter  as  was  desu-ed;  in  fact,  several  were  unwilling  at  firat 
to  aUow  inspection  of  their  plants  and  objected  to  an  examination  of 
the  machinery. 

The  following  short  descriptions  of  the  individual  plants  will  give 
some  idea  of  the  equipment  of  each: 

PLANT  OP  THE  JET  SIN  CO. 

The  head  office  of  the  Jit  Sin  Co.,  which  controls  and  operates  a 
number  of  factones,  is  located  in  the  Chinese  business  section  of 
Mngapore  city  and  is  purelv  Chinese  in  every  respect.  The  oHicers 
clerks  and  employees  speak  only  Chinese  or  Malay  and  the  record^ 
are  all  m  native  characters.  During  1913,  however,  this  firm  engaged 
an  Englishman  who  had  been  in  Singapore  for  a  number  of  yeara  and 
who  was  conversant  with  their  language.    He  transacts  the  foreign 


sales  end  of  the  business.  Previous  to  his  employment  sales  had 
been  made  to  the  English  or  German  firms  located  in  Singapore,  who 
made  the  foreign  sales  and  shipments,  as  this  is  stiU  the  custom  of 
the  majority  of  the  smaUer  pineapple  manufacturer  m  Smgapore. 
The  activities  of  this  gentleman,  however  are  hmited  to  the  foreign 
sales  and  he  is  in  no  way  connected  with  the  other  phases  of  the 

^^TheTarge  English  or  German  firms  located  in  Singapore  who  have 
been  handling  tue  foreign  sales  of  canned  pineapples  are  also  agents 
for  canning  machinery,  tin  plate,  and  other  articles,  and  it  is  through 
them  that  such  machinery  has  found  its  way  mto  the  factories. 
Through  one  of  these  firms  an  American  automatic  can-making 
machine  has  been  purchased,  at  an  outlay  of  S5,677  gold.    A  num- 
ber of  comparatively  modern  American  can-makm^  machmes  of 
simpler  types  had  previously  been  purchased   as  well  as  some  Ger- 
man  and   English   machinery.    Further   sales   of   American   can- 
making  machinery  of  more  eliicient  types  would  unquestionably  be 
Dossibfe  if  a  representative  in  Singapore  had  actual  machines  with 
which  to  make  demonstrations.    Such  a  represeiitative  should  be 
able  to  explain  the  working  of  the  machinery,  which   when  judged 
bv  the  illustrations  in  a  catalogue,  appears  too  complicated  to  men 
who  have  always  depended  upon  hand  labor.     Certamly  American 
manufacturers  of  can-making  machinery,  as  well  as  those  of  such 
machinery  as  steam-exhaust  chests,  can  not  expect  to  have  the  sales 
of  then-  goods  increased  to  the  fullest  extent  by  concerns  that  are 
agents  for  manufacturers  m  their  home  countries  and  handle  ma- 
chinerv  of  every  sort  and  commodities  of  every  description 

The  factory  of  the  Ji.t  Sin  Co.  is  located  on  a  creek  m  the  city  of 
Singapore.  The  pineapples  are  unloaded  from  '^sampans,  or  river 
boatsfdirectly  in  front  of  the  factory,  where  they  are  sorted  and  the 
tops  cut  off.  ;^They  are  then  put  in  large  baskets  and  earned  mto  the 

^  ThebuUdin^is  a  two-story  stone  structure  in  the  center  of  a  block 
of  business  houses.  The  can-making  department  is  not  separate 
from  the  sections  for  preparing  the  fruit,  and  the  new  expensive 
American  machinery  is  widely  separated  from  the  machines  immedi- 
ately preceding  and  foUowing  it  in  the  process  of  manufacturmg 

IT-horsepower  kerosene  engine,  manufactured  by  R.  Horsenby  & 
Son  (Ltd.),  of  Cranthan,  England,  furnishes  the  motive  power  to 
operate  the  power  presses  for  stamping  tops  and  bottoms,  the  body 
cutter,  the  flanging  machine,  and  the  four  double  seamers,  three  of 
which  are  of  Anierican  manufacture  and  one  of  German  manufacture. 

HENG  SIN  A  CO. 

The  Heng  Sin  &  Co.  establishment,  in  Sumbaya  Road,  is  one  of 
the  importMit  Jit  Sin  factories.  It  occupies  a  two-story  warehouse 
in  the  city,  the  lower  floor  of  which  is  used  for  canning  purposes. 
The  equipment  for  can  making  is  not  so  complete  as  m  the  Jit  .in 
factory,  but  is  probably  a  Uttle  better  arranged.  Five  double-seammg 
machinU— three  of  which  are  American  and  two  German -occupy  a 
large  room  in  the  rear,  where  the  fiUed  cans  are  carried  for  closing 
from  the  preparation  room,  at  the  other  end  of  the  buildmg.    Ibere 


26 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE   WORLD. 


THE  JIT  CHEON  PLANT. 

vPc^  ''}^  ^■^°'°-  P'."*^*'  Lavender  Road,  owned  and  onerated  hv  th^ 
Jit  Sin  Co.,  IS  outside  the  business  section  of  the  "it?  and  oroL^na 

stoi,  fra.e^s.Vabout  .0  fe'Jt\?  foo  fi,  ^l.^^^^^^:^ 

ir^^^tl}^^^'""'^'^  equipn-ent  is  all  American,  consisting  of  five 
Pit  ?  r  ^r' r  P^'T'  *T  ''»"J>le-on<l  flanging  nii^  'Zl 
i  liss  t>.  G.  D.  G.  maclune,  four  double  seamei-s,   and   three  mS- 

^T  fJl^.T*"^"''""  ^"•'"  T^^  '"l'^^'  ">»««  for  gaskets  ^ 

hoJi^po^'^^r^EVB^rtaW^^^^  ?r  ''t  ^2 

tops  bottoms,  and  sides  of  cans  have  been  dMed  Zu^er  tvn^ 
of  American  power  machines  installed.  ^  P^ 

TAI  THONG  *  CO. 

J^f^^  T''T^  *  <^0'  Y'^ich  is  the  only  one  with  a  factory  near  the  n\n^ 
apple  f.e!ds,  has  a  down-town  ofhce  on  Beach  Roa7  The  Chfn^,t 
manager  speaks  English  and  the  general  atmosphe^'is  prLrSve 
IdX'^^Z^'  ^r  '*"'*"''?  *^"  '^r^''  Co.,  whicli  h^s  a  pKTn  the 

fi,^^^  u  "^^^"^  company  sells  most  of  its  product  through  a  German 
firm  (Eehn,  Meyer  &  Co.),  and  as  a  result  is  equipped ^th  German 
machinery,  most  of  which  was  made  by  L  sSiS;r  of  pV.^t! 
Wurttemterg,  Permaijy.  Five  double  LmeS  of  this  m^Cure 
are  in  use-one  machine  for  manufacturing  gum  easkeTS  twn 
mclmable  top  aad  bottom  presses,  and  ^  e^d  fl!^  ^iAl 
Ten  old-type  hand-screw  presses,  cutters,  and  rollers  ^sSriTu^ 
for  a  portion  of  the  cans  made  m  the  older  type  of  soldered  onp?  ^^ 

:S  dl""  ""*  '^'''  '^  ^^PP''^'^*^'^  ^y  imp^r^vedlthL^^a't*^ 

The  motive  power  for  the  plant  is  furnished  by  a  German  IS-horsft- 
power  portabfe  engine,  manufactured  bv  R.  Wolf,  ™MaedeW 
&  Co^a'^J'V-  S'''''f:''>\?!  Singapore  manufacture-liiley.Keav'^ 

the  bottom  of  1 4  square  iron  open  processing  vate  ^ 

rwo  hundred  men  and  boys  are  employed  at  this  factory  durin?  the 

S  IIT^-    ^^'^  "'  Pf ''  ^y  *^'«  "'""th,  from  $5.7?  ra  51 

tfn^ToO  ca^.    ^  ^'^'^'''^-'-'  ^^*^  gold  ^^^r  preparing  fndt  a^d 

The  factory  is  located  in  the  village  of  Seletar,  about  7  miles  from 
the  city  and  occupies  about .!  to  4  aires  of  ground,  fenced  in  from  Z 
village  by  a  high  wooden  fence.  It  consiste  of  a  seri^  of  fouHaree 
open  sheds  or  partly  open  slat^sided  wooden  buildiW  the  latter 
-h^  f""  ^'  tSe  can-nmking  machinery  and  boUers.^elhe  op^' 
sheds  are  used  for  the  preparation  of  the  fruit.  * 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE   WORLD. 


27 


SIN  HENG  &  CO. 


The  Sin  Henj?  &  Co.  factory,  located  at  881  Serangoon  Road,  in  the 
suburbs  of  the  city,  is  of  the  characteristic  open-shed  type.  Tiie  lot 
contains  about  2  acres  of  g:round  and  the  buildings  consist  of  one  large 
open  preparation  slied,  with  tile  roof,  about  40  by  100  feet,  and  a 
parti  \  inclosed  frame  buildmg  of  approxiinately  the  same  size,  in  which 
are  the  boilers  and  processing  vats.  The  living  quarters  of  tlie  work- 
men are  within  the  inclosure  and  consist  of  a  one-story  frame  struc- 
ture. Tiiis  factorv  keeps  100  coolies  at  tie  factory  the  year  round, 
en-ipio\s  a  cook  and  barber,  and  furnishes  food  and  sleepuy;'  quarters 
for  the  men  who  ir.ake  cans  during  the  seasons  m  which  pineapples 
are  not  being  packed.  During  the  busy  seasons  the  nun  ber  is  aug- 
mented by  unskilled  labor  to  as  manv  as  400.  The  skilled  can 
makers  and  others  pernancntly  employed  receive  from  $6.80  to 
$11.5  gold,  the  maximum  being  tlie  amount  received  by  tlie  superm- 
ten-^ent  of  the  factory.  The  boar(!  received  in  addition  to  the  wages 
mav  be  figured  at  $2.84  gold  per  n;onth.  ^ 

The  can-Tr)akin«:  equipment  of  tlic  factory  is  very  simple,  as  all  the 
cans  are  soldered'  by  hand.  This  manufacturer  should  find  it  eco- 
nomical to  install  modern  machinery. 


SIN  KEE  SENG  CO. 


The  Sin  Kee  Sencr  Co.,  1228  Serangoon  Koad,  now  owns  and  oper- 
ates the  Guan  Kee  &  Co.  plant,  1235  Seram:^oon  Koad.  The  advan- 
tage of  having  branches  and  agents  in  foreign  countries  is  siiown  in 
tl.e  influence  exerted  over  the  Sm  Kee  Seng  Co.  bv  tlie  German  firm 
with  which  thev  deal.  Tiiis  Germ.an  firm  (if  elm,  Meyer  &  Co.)  is  well 
established  in  SinG:apore  and  represents  a  large  number  of  German 
ir.anufacturers.  They  l.andle  a  large  proportion  of  the  output  of 
canned  pineapple  packed  by  the  Sin  Kee  Seng  Co.,  an  1,  having  secured 
their  confidence  bv  good  business  methods,  have  been  able  to  equip 
their  plant  with  a  full  line  of  German  machinery.  The  Gerir  ans  and 
English  have  a  great  advantage  over  Americans  in  sellmg  their  goods, 
from  the  fact  tliat  they  are  on  the  ground,  and  the  close  business 
relations  afford  opportunities  for  making  sales  that  can  not  be 
expected  through  catalogues  or  letters,  especially  when  they  are  in  a 
lan2:uage  unknown  to  tl  e  possible  purchaser. 

Tlie  plant  of  the  Sin  Kee  Seng  Co.  is  located  in  the  suburbs  of  Singa- 
pore and  is  one  of  the  best-arranged  and  well-kept  factories  on  the 
^land.  The  buildings  are  frame,  all  whitewashed  inside  as  well  as 
outside,  and  are  fitted  with  cement  floors  that  are  kept  thoroughly 
clean,  running  water  being  piped  to  all  parts  of  the  building.  The 
buildings  were  erected  as  a  canning  factory  and  have  been  arranged 
with  some  regard  to  handling  the  fruit  in  a  systematic  manner. 

'ihe  main  building  is  used  as  the  can-making  section  of  the  plant. 
Ihe  8-horse|)ower  gasoline  engine,  manufactured  by  Benz  &  Co.,  of 
Manhelm,  Germany,  is  also  located  in  this  building.  Belting  and 
counter-shafting  operate  three  German  power  presses  for  tops  and 
bottoms,  the  name  plates  on  which  have  been  removed  and  replaced 
by  plates  of  the  German  agents  in  Singapore,  as  is  also  the  case  with 
all  of  the  other  equipments  in  the  factory.  One  flanging  machine 
for  preparing  can  bodies  for  double  seaming,  three  double-seaming 
machines,  and  six  machines  for  making  rubber  rings  for  gaskets 
complete  the  power  machinery,  the  remainder  being  older  types  of 


28 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE  WORLD. 


hand-operated  cutters,  benders,  and  presses.  The  steam  generator 
of  the  usual  Singapore  make— Riley,  Harfcreaves  &  Co.  (Ltd.) — 
furnishes  steam  to  seven  square  iron  processmg  vats  of  the  character 
found  in  all  of  the  Singapore  factories. 

The  buildings  for  the  preparation  of  the  fruit  joins  the  can-making 
section.  'Ihe  fruit  is  received  by  water  in  sampans  on  a  small 
covered  wharf,  from  which  it  is  carried,  after  sorting,  to  the  shed. 
The  preparation  of  the  fruit  docs  not  differ  from  that  in  other  Singa- 
pore factories,  the  only  machinery  being  the  sugar  kettle  for  the  pre- 
paration of  sirup  and  the  processing  vats.  This  concern  also  manu- 
factures the  cans  for  use  at  the  Guan  Kce  &  Co.  plant,  which  it  owns. 

The  plant  of  Guan  Kee  &  Co.  consists  of  a  frame  building  80  by 
100  feet,  furnished  with  a  steam  generator  ol  Singapore  manufac- 
ture—Riley,  Hargreaves  &  Co.  (Ltd.) — six  iron  processing  vats  and 
the  usual  tables  and  small  tools.  The  floors  are  cement,  and  the 
buildings  are  clean.  The  output  of  this  factory  is  small  and  it  is 
now  used  only  in  rush  seasons  as  an  auxiliary  to  the  main  plant  of 
Sin  Kee  Seng  &  Co. 


HUF  SAN  *  CO. 


Hup  San  &  Co.,  a  concern  located  at  80  St.  Michaels  Road,  in  the 
suburbs  of  Singapore,  has  the  most  substantial  and  roomy  buildings 
of  any  factory  in  Singapore,  having  rented  a  large  plant  built  orig- 
inally for  housing  bullock.  Although  the  six  buildings  are  of  brick 
and  concrete  with  cement  floors,  they  are  not  all  utilized.  The 
machinery  for  making  cans  is  of  an  old  hand-power  type.  The 
only  modem  equipment  is  the  steam  generator,  which  is  similar  to 
those  found  in  all  the  factories,  and  the  10  iron  processing  vats.  The 
output  of  this  factory  was  stated  as  being  60,000  cases. 


TAI  CHUAN. 


The  Tai  Chuan  factory  is  also  located  in  the  suburbs  of  Singapore. 
It  has  water  transportation  and  ample  space  surrounding  the  build- 
ings, which  are  comparatively  new  and  constructed  for  canning 
purposes.  It  sells  through  the  Singapore  branch  of  a  German  firm, 
and  consequently  the  machinery  is  of  German  manufacture,  with  the 
agents'  name  plate  replacing  that  of  the  manufacturers. 

The  equipment  consists  of  two  power  presses,  five  double  seamers. 
two  flanging  machines,  and  two  rubber-ring  machines.  The  usual 
Singapore-made  steam  generator  furnishes  steam  to  eight  iron  pro- 
cessing vats.  About  150  to  200  men  are  employed  at  this  factory 
the  year  round.     The  output  was  stated  to  be  60,000  cases  per  annum. 

SIN  CHONG  HIN  CO. 

The  factory  of  the  Sin  Chong  Hin  Co.,  located  in  the  business  por- 
tion of  the  city,  is  one  of  the  smallest,  and,  judging  by  the  statements 
made  by  the  manager,  one  of  the  least  successful  of  the  Singapore 
plants.  The  buildings  occupied  are  part  of  a  business  l)lock  on 
Sungei  Road,  and  are  unsuited  for  the  purpose  to  which  they  are  put. 

The  can-making  equipment  is  all  of  the  hand-power  type.  The 
section  given  over  to  the  preparation  of  fruit  for  the  cans  is  over- 
crowded and  poorly  arranged.  The  steam  generator  and  10  vats 
for  processing  are  the  only  equipment  approximating  that  of  the 
other  factories.     The  output  claimed  is  40,000  cases  per  annum. 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE  WORLD. 


METHODS  OF  CULTURE. 


29 


Pineapple  culture  in  Singapore  is  totally  different  from  that  of 
Hawaii,  and  is  much  less  systematic  than  would  seem  necessary  in  a 
section  where  the  canned-pineapple  industry  has  assumed  such 
proportions.  Practically  all  of  the  pineapple  canned  is  grown  on  the 
island  of  Singapore  itself,  a  small  quantity  being  grown  in  the  native 
Malay  State  of^Jahor,  immediately  adjacent. 

Statistics  as  to  the  area  planted  in  pineapple  could  not  be  obtained. 
The  great  boom  in  rubber  m  this  part  of  the  world  has  had  a  marked 
influence  on  the  number  of  acres  planted  in  pineapples  and  has,  to 
some  extent,  threatened  the  future  of  the  industry.  The  craze  for 
rubber  plantations  has  swept  all  through  the  Malay  Peninsula  and 
company  after  company  has  been  formed  for  the  purpose  of  clearing 
land  and  planting  rubber.  Many  wildcat  companies  have  been 
started  and  much  money  lost  by  investors,  yet  the  great  number  of 
bona  fide  companies  has  so  increased  the  production  of  rubber  that 
the  market  has  been  flooded  with  a  rather  inferior  product  and 
prices  have  fallen  to  such  an  extent  that  the  formation  of  new  com- 
panies has  become  less  attractive  and  many  of  the  companies  already 
formed  have  found  themselves  on  a  precarious  footing. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  rubber  culture  should  particularly  attract 
the  tillers  of  the  soil  on  the  island  of  Singapore,  adjacent  to  the  city 
where  so  much  of  the  rubber-plantation  promotion  centered.  The 
result  has  been  that  the  limited  area  of  217  square  miles  of  this  island, 
formerly  planted  in  coconut  and  pineapples,  has  been  transformed 
into  rubber  plantations.  It  did  not  become  necessary  in  the  case  of 
the  pineapple  fields,  as  it  did  in  that  of  the  coconut  groves,  to  replace 
entirely  the  older  crop  by  the  new  rubber  trees.  Five  years  are 
required  to  bring  new  rubber  trees  to  the  producing  state,  although 
many  new  companies  have  tapped  trees  not  more  than  three  years 
old,  and  during  the  first  years  pineapples  can  still  be  planted  and  raised 
as  sort  of  a  catch  crop.  This  has  been  the  method  pursued  on  the 
island  of  late  years. 

The  greater  part  of  the  plantations  are  leased  to  the  Chinese  firms 
for  pineapple  culture  during  the  first  five  years  of  the  growth  of  the 
newly  planted  rubber  trees,  after  which  period  the  pineapples  are 
rooted  up  and  removed.  The  pineapple  plantations  are  not  planted 
or  owned  by  the  canning  establishments,  and  the  future  outlook  for 
the  production  of  pineapples,  if  the  rubber  production  proves  suc- 
cessful on  the  island,  seems  somewhat  uncertain.  It  was  most 
likely  this  threatening  of  the  source  of  supply  that  induced  the  Jit 
Sin  Co.  to  start  its  branch  factory  in  the  pineapple  fields  of  Bang 
Kla,  Siam. 

During  the  last  few  years,  however,  since  the  rubber-plantation 
craze  has  been  checked,  some  new  land  has  been  cleared  and  planted 
in  pineapples  on  the  island.  The  rows  in  this  plantation  are  4  feet 
apart  and  plants  are  set  out  2 J  to  3  feet  apart  in  the  rows.  All  of 
the  pineapples  of  Singapore  are  planted  in  single  rows  and  not  in  beds 
of  two  or  three  rows,  as  in  Hawaii  and  Siam. 

The  cultivation  is  all  by  hand  labor,  Chinese  coolies  being  cheap  and 
efficient  laborers  to  keep  down  the  weeds.  No  data  could  be  obtained 
as  to  the  variety  mostly  used,  although  it  seemed  similar  to  the 


30 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE   INDUSTRY   OF    THE   WORLD. 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY  OF   THE  WORLD. 


81 


Siamese  varieties  classified  as  "saparos."  The  size  of  the  fruit  is 
probably  reduced  by  the  fact  that  the  growth  of  the  rubber  trees 
affects  to  some  extent  the  full  strength  of  the  soil. 


PINEAPPLE  EXPORTS. 


About  three-fifths  of  the  Singapore  canned  pineapple  goes  to  the 
United  Kingdom,  and  the  next  largest  purchaser  seems  to  oe  Canada. 
Of  the  Continental  countries,  France  and  Germany  are  the  largest 
consumers,  while  the  Netherlands,  although  a  small  country,  takes 
about  half  as  much  as  is  shipped  to  France  or  Germany.  This  is 
probably  explained  by  the  direct  shipping  facilities  afforded  by  the 
Dutch  lines  gomg  to  the  Dutch  Ea^t  Indies  by  way  of  Singapore. 
The  United  States  purchases  more  than  either  France  or  Germany, 
the  greater  portion  going  to  the  Atlantic  coast.  This  should  be  a 
field  for  Porto  Ilican  pineapple,  or  possibly  Hawaiian  after  the  open- 
ing of  tlie  Panama  Canal.  The  amount  shipped  to  the  western 
coa>t  of  the  United  States  is  small.  The  total  amount  used  by 
Europe  bears  out  the  statement  that  pineapple  is  not  ? o  well  known 
iji  European  countries  as  it  should  bo,  and  with  the  advantage  of  the 
Panama  Canal  and  a  proper  advertising  campaign,  sales  of  Hawaiian 
pineapple  should  be  largely  increased  in  that  part  of  the  world. 

The  official  statistics  show  that  27,647  cases  of  pineapple  were 
imported  into  Singapore  from  Siam.  This  is  practically  the  total 
output  of  Siam,  and  means  that  pineapple  from  that  section  passes 
through  Singapore  on  its  way  to  its  final  destination  in  England.  A 
total  of  24,307  cases  was  shipped  to  Hongkong,  which  indicates  the 
sale  of  imported  canned  pineapple  in  the  southern  part  of  China  in 
competition  with  the  pineapple  packed  in  Chinese  cities  near  Hong- 
kong. This  is  probably  of  an  inferior  character,  however,  and  goes 
principallv  to  Chinese  customers.  The  official  statistics  of  the 
exports  of  canned  pineapple  from  Singapore  in  1912  are  shown  in  the 
following  table: 


Exports  to- 


British  Empire: 

tJnited  Kingdom 

India- 
Bombay  and  Malabar 

Coast 

Burma 

Calcutta 

Madras  and  Coroman- 

del  Coast 

Hongkong 

Malay  Peninsula 

Aden 

Borneo 

North  Sarawak 

Union  of  South  Africa 

Australia 

New  Zealand 

Canada 

Austria-Hungary 

Belgium 

Denmark 

France 

Germany , 

Italy 

Netherlands 

Norway 


Cases. 


345,771 


1,569 

5,124 

2»4 

178 

24,307 

944 

3,170 

36 

16 

4 

5,914 

23,237 

40.358 

4,309 

2,155 

5,745 

22,638 

23,306 

1,489 

11,278 

860 


Value, 

United 

States 

currency. 


$1,102,413 


5,658 

9,485 

859 

670 

49,166 

2,668 

11,934 

91 

36 

14 

17,849 

68,011 

123.461 

12,551 

0,563 

19,022 

67,973 

'.4,372 

4,119 

34,831 

2,668 


Exports  to— 


Sweden 

Turkey 

Arabia 

China 

Egypt 

French  Indo-China 

Japan 

Acheen,  Suma'ra 

Bali  and  Lambok 

Borneo 

Celebes 

Java 

Molukkas 

Natunas   and    Anambas 

lands 

Persia 

Philippine  Islands , 

Russia  in  Asia 

Siam , 

United  States: 

Atlantic  coast 

Pacific  coast 

Other  countries 


L«»- 


Cases. 


Total. 


1,010 

149 

470 

2.703 

4,744 

100 

8,590 

3 

22 

65 

13 

3ft 

f» 

126 

220 
2,722 

224 
3,816 

29,242 

1,960 

790 


580,065 


Value, 

United 

States 

currency. 


Of  /99 

483 

1,888 

6,380 

16,695 

312 

31,721 

7 

67 

162 

37 

106 

884 

427 
T53 

5,884 
672 

0,342 

82,706 
6,233 
2,656 


1,775,019 


SIAM. 

The  situation  of  Siam,  of!  the  beaten  track  of  commerce,  and  the 
natural  inaptitude  of  the  natives  for  commercial  enterprises  probably 
explains  in  j)art  the  fact  that  the  canning  of  pineapples  is  of  rather 
recent  date  in  that  country  and  is  not  as  yet  an  industry  of  groat 
magnitude.  The  product  is  steadily  increasing  in  quantity,  however, 
as  well  as  improving  in  quahtv. 

Pineapple  canning  was  probably  introduced  into  Siam  by  Mr.  A. 
Landau,  an  Austrian  whose  family  moved  to  Singapore  many  years 
ago.  Twenty-five  years  ago  Mr.  Landau's  father  and  brother  estab- 
lished the  first  pineapple  factory  in  Jehor,  near  Singapore  Island,  mw 
an  important  canning  district.  This  factory  is  still  in  operation,  but 
is  now  controlled  by  the  Chinese  firm.  Jit  Sin  &  Co.  After  a  study 
of  pineapple  canning  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  Mr.  A.  Landau  set- 
tled in  Bangkok,  Siam,  about  five  years  ago,  and  finding  a  pineapple 
there  superior  in  quality  to  the  Singapore  fruit,  was  instrumental  in 
starting  a  canning  factory  on  a  small  scale.  This  first  factory  was  a 
failure  owing  to  inabihty  to  obtain  enough  fruit  to  fill  contracts,  and 
also  to  insuiHcient  capital.  The  attention  of  the  Singapore  canners 
was  attracted  by  the  product,  however,  and  about  three  years  ago, 
when  the  planting  of  rubber  trees  seemed  to  be  driving  out  the  pine- 
apple growers  of  Singapore  Island,  the  Jit  Sin  Co.,  started  a  branch 
establishment  at  Bang-Kla,  in  the  eastern  portion  of  Siam  at  the  pine- 
apple fields  near  Petriu  on  the  Bang-pa-Kung  River.  This  plant  is 
still  in  operation  and  it  will  be  descril)ed  later;  it  operates  under  the 
firm  name  of  Khiam,  Thyc  &  Co. 

Three  years  ago  Mr.  Landau  interested  Luang  Chit  Channong,  also 
known  as  Tom- Yah,  a  wealthy  Chino-Siamese  rice-miU  merchant,  in 
the  canning  of  pineapple,  and  as  a  result  Mr.  Landau  was  engaged 
under  a  five-year  contract  to  develop  a  canning  factory  at  Sam  vSen, 
a  suburb  of  Bangkok,  where  one  of  the  four  rice  mills  belonging  to 
Luang  Chit  Channong  is  located.  This  plant  was  operated  for  the 
first  time  during  the  season  191 2,  and  its  first  real  pack  was  put  up  in 
1913.  It  is  weU  arranged  and  better  equipped  than  any  of  the  Singa- 
pore factories. 

His  excellency,  Phya  Anudhutvadhi,  a  Siamese  of  rank  and  related 
to  the  ICing  of  Siam,  became  interested  a  couple  of  years  ago  in  rees- 
tablishing, under  the  name  of  the  Bangkok  Canning  Co.,  the  factory 
first  stai-ted  by  Mr.  Landau.  Ilis  idea  is  to  develop  not  only  pine- 
apple canning  but  also  the  canning  of  other  native  fruits  of  Siam  that 
are  of  particularly  good  quality,  such  as  the  mango,  the  papaya,  the 
durian,  and  the  Jack  fruit.  lie  states  that  he  has  the  approval  and 
financial  backing  of  the  King  in  making  what  has  been,  more  or  less, 
an  experimental  beginning,  with  the  idea  of  directing  the  attention  of 
the  outside  world  to  the  tropical  fruits  of  Siam. 

The  total  product  of  these  three  factories  was  not  more  than  30,000 
cases  for  1912,  apportioned  as  foU3ws:  Landau,  15,000;  Bangkok, 
1,000;  Khiam,  Thj^e  &  Co.,  14,000.  As  these  factories  are  all  new, 
however,  a  greater  output  may  be  expected  in  the  near  future. 

KHIAM,  THYE  Jk  CO. 

The  plant  of  Khiam,  Thye  &  Co.,  owned  and  operated  by  the  Jit 
Sin  Co.,  of  Singapore,  is  located  on  the  Bang-pa-K\mg  River  near  the 
pineapple  plantations.     This  is  in  the  eastern  part  of  Siam,  about 


32 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE   WORLD. 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY  OF   THE   WORLD. 


33 


two  days'  trip  by  slow  native  river  transportation  from  Bangkok,  the 
capital  and  principal  city  of  Siam.  The  plant  was  constructed  about 
four  years  ago  and  is  much  more  modem  than  the  Singapore  fac- 
tories operated  by  the  Jit  Sin  Co.  It  is  located  directly  on  the  bank 
of  the  nver  and  has  a  substantial  covered  wharf  on  which  goods  can 
be  stored  awaiting  shipment.  It  consists  of  four  large  one-story 
frame  buildmgs  with  cement  floors.  Three  of  these  buildings  are 
60  by  80  feet  each,  while  the  larger  building,  in  which  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  fruit  for  canning  is  carried  on,  is  80  by  120  feet. 

The  plant  was  not  in  operation  during  the  writer's  visit,  as  it  was 
not  the  packing  season,  but  there  was  httle  criticism  to  offer  on  the 
condition  of  the  cannery.  The  machinery  was  carefully  cleaned  and 
covered  with  cloths,  and  all  parts  had  been  put  in  order  for  the  com- 
ing pack.  The  cans  used  in  this  factory  are  made  in  Singapore  at 
the  Jit  Sin  canneries  there  and  sent  by  water  directly  to  the  plant, 
hence  the  machinery  is  limited  to  can-closing  apparatus  and  the 
equipment  for  processing.  The  double  seamers  are  of  American 
manufacture.  A  steam  generator,  made  by  Riley,  Hargreaves  & 
Co.  (Ltd.),  of  Singapore,  furnishes  the  steam  for  processing.  The 
steam  is  carried  by  a  series  of  pipes  through  the  12  square  wrought- 
iron  processing  tanks  for  heating  the  water  to  the  boiUng  point.  A 
small  steam  engine  (and  a  gasohne  engine  made  in  Birmingham, 
England,  as  an  auxihary)  operated  the  machinery. 

The  fruit  is  prepared  by  the  hand  methods  in  vogue  in  the  Singapore 
factories,  and  the  other  processes  are  identical  with  the  Singapore 
methods.  The  principal  advantage  this  factory  has  over  the  parent 
plant  hes  in  greater  space,  superior  cleanhness,  and  a  better  arrange- 
ment of  the  machinery. 

Chinese  labor  is  used  exclusively,  and  the  plantations  on  which 
the  pineapples  are  grown  are  also  owned  and  operated  exclusively 
by  Chinese,  although  these  are  independent  of  the  factory.  Some  of 
the  labor  is  paid  by  the  month,  but  most  of  the  labor  engaged  in  the 
preparation  of  the  fruit  is  paid  by  piecework,  the  price  varying  from 
25  to  33  cents  gold  for  cutting,  sorting,  and  fiUing  100  cans  of  pine- 
apple. One  good  workman  has  been  known  to  prepare  pineapple 
for  500  cans  in  a  10-hour  day,  although  this  is  above  the  average. 
Ordinary  labor  is  paid  about  $11.10  gold  per  month. 

The  prices  for  pineapple  vary  according  to  the  crop  and  season. 
The  highest  price,  dehvered  at  the  factory,  has  been  $1.48  gold  per 
100  pineapples,  while  the  lowest  price  sometimes  reaches  74  cents 
and  sometimes  even  37  cents  golcf  per  100  fruits.  The  seasons  for 
pineapple  are  from  November  to  the  end  of  January,  and  from  April 
to  the  end  of  June. 

There  seems  to  have  been  some  competition  between  the  three 
factories  for  the  fruit  raised  in  this  section  and  the  demand  of  the 
Bangkok  factories  for  fruit  has  apparently  at  times  decreased  the 
suppbr  for  this  Khiam-Thye  factory,  located  near  the  fields.  The 
new  Sam  Sen  factory,  in  charge  of  Mr.  Landau,  is  preparing  to  obtain 
pineapples  from  Patani,  in  southern  Siam,  transporting  them  direct 
on  the  boats  owned  by  the  rice-mill  proprietors  who  are  financing 
the  factory.  The  difficulty  of  obtaining  pure  water  seems  also  to 
have  been  disadvantageous  to  the  Khiam-Thye  factory,  as  it  has  been 
necessary  to  use  water  from  the  Bang-pa-Kung  River  instead  of 
Artesian  weU  water,  as  used  by  the  Sam  Sen  factory.    There  are 


indications  that  the  Khiam-Thye  branch  factory  had  not  proved  so 
satisfactory  to  the  Singapore  Chinese  firm  as  had  been  hoped,  and 
there  has  even  been  talk  of  abandoning  the  project. 

PACTORY  AT  SAM  SEN. 

The  new  factory  at  Sam  Sen,  a  suburb  of  Bangkok,  in  charge  of 
Mr.  Landau,  is  conveniently  located  on  the  Menam  River  and  is  also 
reached  by  a  model  road  from  Bangkok.     It  is  not  near  the  fields, 
which  are  about  two  days  distant  by  water,  but  as  water  transporta- 
tion is  cheap  and  as  there  are  two  sources  of  supply  available,  the 
owners  seem  to  feel  that  they  have  more  satisfactory  conditions  than 
the  Khiam-Thye  factory  at  Bang-Kla.     The  labor  proposition  is 
identical  in  both  places.     Chinese  labor  is  imported  from  Swatow, 
Hainan,  Amoy,  or  Singapore,  and  kept  at  the  plant  during  the  pa<ik- 
ing  season.     At  the  Sam  Sen  factory  the  more  important  workmen 
are  kept  by  the  vear  and  five  at  the  buildings  erected  for  them  near 
the  factory.     Native  Siamese  labor  does  not  seem  to  be  used,  and 
wages  for  Chinese  labor  are  higher  than  at  Singapore.     The  foreman 
receives  $27.81  gold  per  month  and  is  employed  by  the  year.     He 
increases  his  income  by  means  of  a  "squeeze  '  on  the  employes  in 
purely  Chinese  fashion.     It  was  said  that  a  new  foreman  had  offered 
to  pay  $741.60  gold  to  secure  the  position.     The  ordinary  labor  is 
paid  about  the  same  as  by  the  Khiam-Thye  factory  at  Bang-Kla, 
1.  e.,  from  $11.50  to  $18.50  gold  per  month  and  the  same  rates  for 
preparing  pineapples  by  the  hundred  cans.     About  400  men  are  em- 
ployed during  the  busy  season,  200  of  these  being  cutters  used  m 
removing  the  rind  and  eyes.     It  would  seem  economical  to  substitute 
machinery  for  this  hand  labor,  and  the  introduction  of  American 
pineapple-paring  machinery  at  Singapore  recently  will  probably  lead 
to  improvements  in  this  particular  before  long.     The  amount  of 
money  invested  in  the  Sam  Sen  pineapple  factory,  including  the  cost 
of  an  artesian  well  and  storage  tanks  for  water,  was  stated  to  be 
$66,744  gold.     The  buildings  occupied  are  a  part  of  the  rice-mill 
property  remodeled  for  the  purpose.     The  existing  wharf  and  offices 
of  the  rice  mill  are  also  used  by  the  pineapple  company.     New  quar- 
ters for  the  Chinese  coohes  have  been  erected.     The  factory  consists 
of  three  sheds  40  by  180  feet  each,  with  cement  floors  and  a  complete 
system  of  floor  drainage.     The  buildings  are  covered  with  corru- 
gated-iron roofs,  and  a  number  of  skylights  have  been  placed  at  con- 
venient points.     Electric  Ughts  have  been  installed  to  facihtate  work 
on  dark  days  and  at  night.     Ample  water  has  been  provided,  a  spigot 
being  placed  at  each  working  table;  in  fact,  the  contrast  in  con- 
venience and  sanitation  is  marked  as  compared  with  most  of  the 
Singapore  factories.     That  sanitation  and  general  cleanhness  have 
been  considered  is  shown  by  the  provision  of  gum  aprons,  an  ac- 
cessory to  the  pineapple-canning  industry  distinctly  up  to  date. 
The  tables  used  in  the  preparation  of  the  fruit  are  all  covered  with 
zinc  and  are  easily  cleaned. 

The  equipment  is  all  new  and,  although  not  of  the  most  modern 
and  labor-saving  type,  is  much  superior  to  that  found  in  the  ordi- 
nary oriental  cannery.  As  all  of  tlie  cans  are  manufactured  at  the 
giant,  a  full  equipment  of  can-making  machinery  has  been  installed, 
ome  of  this  equipment  is  of  German  manufacture,  the  8  power 


84 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE   WORLD. 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE   WORLD. 


35 


presses  for  stamping  tops  and  bottoms  being  made  by  the  Karges 
Hammer  Co.,  of  Brunswick,  Germany.  The  5  shearing  machines 
for  cuttmg  bodies  of  cans,  2  flange  machines,  15  small  side  seamers, 
and  10  double-seamer  machines  (5  used  for  putting  bottoms  on 
empty  cans  and  5  placed  near  the  preparation  tables  for  closing 
^^t  ^^.^^^^  ^^^s)  are  mostly  of  American  manufacture.  The 
rubber  rmgs  used  in  closing  the  double  seam  of  the  top  and  bottom 
are  prepared  by  10  machines  of  German  manufacture. 

All  tm  used  is  English  charcoal,  costing  14  to  15  shiUings  ($3.44 
to  $3.69)  per  case  of  112  sheets,  14  by  19  inches,  weighing  100  pounds. 
One  and  a  half  and  3-pound  cans  are  the  only  sizes  used  and  the 
type  IS  that  known  in  America  as  the  "sanitary."  The  capacity 
of  the  plant  is  stated  to  be  70,000  cans  per  day. 

Paper  labels,  lithographed  in  colors,  are  used  exclusively,  the 
favorite  design  employed  being  the  white  elephant,  the  emblem 
of  Si  am. 

The  methods  used  in  canning  are  similar  to  those  used  in  Singa- 
pore. All  the  work  of  preparation  is  done  by  Chinese  coolies,  tke 
peehng  and  removal  of  the  eyes  being  identical  with  the  Singapore 
hand  method.  There  are  15  wrought-iron  square  tanks  into  which 
the  cages  of  cans  are  lowered  for  processing.  Steam  exhausting 
boxes  are  unknown  and  exhausting  is  accomphshed  by  a  short 
immersion  of  about  4  to  5  minutes  in  the  tanks,  venting  and  resol- 
dering  the  vent  hole,  and  a  further  processing  for  half  an  hour  at  a 
temperature  of  212°  F. 

BANGKOK  CANNING  CO. 

The  third  plant,  that  of  the  Bangkok  Canning  Co.,  is  the  smallest 
of  the  three  factories.  As  reorganized  about  two  years  ago,  it  has 
given  some  attention  to  the  packing  of  various  tropical  fruits  in  ad- 
dition to  pineapples.  The  output  of  pineapple  has  been  only  about 
1,000  cases  per  annum.  The  plant  is  a  brick  structure,  about  30  by 
60  feet,  covered  with  a  tile  roof.  The  boiler  is  in  an  open  shed 
addition.  These  buildings  are  in  the  rear  of  a  large  two-story 
warehouse  utihzed  for  storage,  offices,  etc.  The  buildings  were  not 
constructed  for  the  pui^iose  to  which  they  are  now  put,  but  they 
are  substantial  and  well  key)t. 

The  equipment  consists  of  a  small  outfit  of  can-making  machinery 
of  German  manufacture.  It  is  not  of  the  most  modern  type,  and 
the  manager  seemed  anxious  to  purchase  new  equipment  suitable 
for  a  small  plant.  All  cans  are  hand  soldered  and  the  work  is  well 
done. 

CULTIVATION. 

The  growing  of  pineapples  for  commercial  purposes,  other  than 
small  patches  for  local  markets,  is  confined  to  three  sections  in  Siam. 
The  first  and  most  important  is  at  Bang-Kla,  near  Petrieu,  on  the 
Bang  Pakong  River,  in  the  eastern  part  of  central  Siam.  The 
second  is  at  Patani,  on  the  Gulf  of  Siam,  in  the  southern  extremity 
of  Siam,  and  the  third  is  at  Prapatum  in  the  western  part  of  central 
Siam.  Pineapples  raised  in  the  last-named  section  are  of  fine  quaUty 
and  are  raised  for  use  in  Bangkok  in  the  fresh  state  and  not  for  canning 
purposes. 


The  climate  of  the  country  is  hot  and  the  rainfall  in  central  Siam 
and  in  the  neighborhool  of  Bangkok  is  about  50  to  60  inches.  In 
southern  Siam  (in  which  the  Patani  pineapple  section  is  located) 
the  rainfall  is  about  100  inches  a  year.  The  pmeapples  are  grown 
on  flat  alluvial  soil  not  much  above  sea  level;  in  fact,  during  the 
high-water  period  of  the  rivers,  it  is  often  flooded.  In  the  matter 
of^climate   and  soil,  therefore,  conditions  are  very  different  from 

those  in  Hawaii.  .       .  i      •    xi.    t»        ^^ 

There  are  about  2,800  acres  planted  m  pmeapples  in  the  Bang-Kla 
neighborhood.  The  fruit  is  an  indigenous  variety  called  "saparos," 
which  has  a  pale  yellow  color  when  ripe.  This  variety  does  not  con- 
tam  so  much  sugar  as  the  green  pmeapple  known  as  ''debaras"  or 
"indara  jit,"  which  is  grown  in  the  gardens  near  Prapatum  for  sale 
in  the  markets  as  fresh  fruit.  There  are  about  560  acres  planted 
in  this  variety  around  Prapatum. 

The  cultivation  of  the  saparos  variety  for  the  canning  factories 
is  exclusively  in  the  hands  of  the  Chmese.  The  system  is  totally 
different  from  that  followed  in  Hawaii,  and  much  more  primitive 
than  that  at  Singapore.  The  periodical  flooding  of  the  ground 
necessitates  raised  beds  about  3  leet  above  the  ordmary  level  of  the 
ground.  Each  bed  is  about  20  to  30  feet  wide  and  100  or  more  feet 
m  length.  Between  the  beds  about  4  feet  of  drainage  paths  or  chan- 
nels ar^  left  at  the  natural  level  of  the  ground  to  allow  the  escape 
of  the  flood  when  the  waters  of  the  river  subside. 

Cultivation  is  carried  on  with  crude  tools  and  after  the  first  plant- 
ing consists  simply  in  keeping  down  the  weeds.  New  plantings  are 
set  out  6  feet  by  6  feet,  and  are  from  ratoons.  No  plantings  had 
been  made  from  tops,  and  this  system  of  planting  was  seemmgly 

not  known.  . 

Plants  mature  fruit  in  two  years  after  planting.  None  of  the 
ratoons  are  removed,  as  is  the  custom  in  Hawaii,  to  insure  better 
fruit,  and  as  a  consequence  the  beds  become  a  dense  tangle  and  do 
not  produce  the  quantity  or  quahty  that  might  be  expected  if 
some  of  the  ratoons  were  removed.  The  same  plats  are  allowed  to 
remain  in  bearing  for  a  great  many  years.  One  plat  shown  the 
writer  was  stated  to  have  been  planted  20  years  ago. 

The  plantations  of  the  debaros,  or-indara  jit,  variety  at  Prapatum 
are  not  nearly  so  systematic  nor  extensive.  The  cultivation  m  this 
section  is  for  the  fresh-fruit  market  in  Bangkok,  and  the  plantations 
are  interspersed  among  the  orchards  of  tropical  fruits  instead  of  in 
large  areas  devoted  solely  to  pineapple  culture.  Since  the  section 
around  Prapatum  is  not  so  subject  to  floodmg,  the  beds  are  not  raised 
above  the  level  of  the  ground.  The  beds  are  rather  narrow,  as  they 
are  placed  between  rows  of  fruit  trees  of  various  sorts.  Frequentlv 
there  is  merely  a  single  row  of  pineapples  along  the  edge  of  the  path 

or  road.  ,  ,    i      ^  ^  ^    .. 

When  grown  in  rows,  the  plants  are  spaced  about  1  foot  apart  m 
the  rows,  and  no  ratoons  are  removed.  New  plantings  are  made 
every  four  or  five  years.  One  of  the  curious  methods  of  producing 
larger  fruits  of  the  best  quahty  consists  m  cutting  off  the  crown 
leaves  at  the  top  of  the  fruit  about  three  or  four  months  before  the 
fruit  is  ripe.  A  rough  cover  of  straw  or  bamboo  is  then  placed  on 
top  of  the  fruit  to  protect  it  from  the  sun.  Fruits  treated  in  this  way 
grow  to  a  larger  size  and  develop  a  finer  flavor. 


I 


36 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDOSTHY  OF  THE  WOBU>. 

SOUTHERN  CHINA. 


The  canning  of  pineapple  in  China  is  Umited  principaUv  to  the 
acton^  located  mAmoy,  Swatow,  Canton,  and'^HonXng   or  in 

Sltivated'^'FhU.^^  ^  *^°\^  ^**="°°^  Where  ninelp^le^can  be 
^hll  *■  rrP^^^  /actones  are  the  outcome  of  the  awakenincr  of 
the  native  Chinese  to  the  usefuUiess  of  canned  foods.    Thev  are  aU 

nZtf  ^'^  "P"™'*^  ,^y  ^>'"«^«-  With  the  exception  of  one  or  two 
plants,  they  are  small  and  are  reaUy  not  more  tfian  beginning  ™t 

ter^'lf  *?  *f  1  '^*'"  '^  ".  ^°^S  demand  for  canned  fZis^L 
STfW     ^*  "^  *>i?^>n«»Ppl«  «">ned  in  these  factories  is  sWpp^ 

t^e  total^J^nroffW  "V  •'  '*  ^ir^<^'i<^^}^yirapossMe  to  oE 
ine  total  output  of  the  factories.  Afinost  all  of  the  plants  are  occu- 
pied m  camung  a  variety  of  products,  including  a  nu^berof  ChSe 

8WATOW  FACTOBIE8. 

There  are  two  factories  in  Swatow  that  pack  pineapples— the  SaIt 
Be  Co.  and  the  Mee  Hiang  Co.  The  Sek  80*^00.  iS  the  Cr  It  haS 
n^?  nf  11'^^"''^  a  number  of  years,  but  there  seems  toTe  no  prot! 
pect  of  an  increased  output.  The  total  output  claimed  is  500  OW) 
cans  of  aU  sorts.  This  ncludes  the  following  tliinese Traits  LoquaT 
caxabolas   lychees,  myncas,  pears,  lungan,  Totus  seeds   waiercC 

Cbrshrte"''^'"-    "^^  ^^^^^^^^  '^^  "«  ^-"^  p-  -^ 

THE  SEK  BE  CO. 

The  establishment  of  the  Sek  Be  Co.  is  located  in  one  of  the  narrow 
streets  of  the  Chinese  section  of  Swatow  near  the  wKale  f^il 
market  of  the  city.  Much  tropical  Chinese  fniit  is  foundTnuL  or 
m  baskete  m  the  streets  along  the  front  of  the  sto^  No  ^ffion 
whatever  IS. practiced  Tlie  owner  of  the  store  or  stall  hi  the  frdt 
^f^tlT  '^r^''''^  ^^  and  guards  the  fruit  from  the  hogs  tluTt  roTm 
the  streets  These  same  hogs  have  access  to  the  cannery  as  sca^ 
engers  of  the  refuse.  ^miory  as  scav- 

The  factory  of  the  Sek  Be  Co,  consists  of  a  two-story  stone  building 
m  the  center  of  a  block  of  Chinese  houses  on  a  street  about  15  f^ 
wide,  jnie  entire  space  occupied  by  the  building  is  about  70  bv  70 

hW  ^^fZtT  P"''^'^  ?^  this  building,  oc^yiri  about  on'^ 
W  oL       ^**^  ^''.'''"  ^P??^'  .^  "^®^  ^  *  receiving  room  for  fresh 

product  A  small  comer  of  this  space  is  partitioned  off  and  set  aside 
as  an  office,  and  another  small  comer  is  used  as  a  sort  of  a  show  or 
samole  room  m  which  the  labels  are  also  kept.  The  tw<^tld?ds  of 
inH  b'.^^^^  ^^  ^^i'  ""*"  ''  ^^^^  "P  to  the  canning  factojr  proper 
fn  1h/  ih  ^  '°'''"  "^^"^  approximately  10  feet  squire  is  bdarffiff 
in  the  center  as  a  can-making  factory.     Three  dhinese  cooUes  with 

?in  fn^f^'"'''  T  TT^"^  constantly  in  this  room  cutting  the  sheet 
tm  into  tops  and  sides  !or  cans.  This  is  the  only  equipment  o3 
in  this  department  except  the  soldering  irons.  The  p?op?X  sh^^ 
htde  interest  m  the  probable  advantages  of  can-making  mac^rir 
feeW  that  the  investment  would  be  beyond  his  mea^  AU  ca^ 
are  laBonously  and  poorly  soldered  by  hand  with  the  cmdest  of  toX 
Tm  plate  is  purchased  at  Hon-kong  and  comes  108  sheets  to  100 
pounds,  measurmg  20  by  14  inches,  the  price  fluctuating  from  $3  15 


CANNBI>-PrNEAPPLE  INDUSTRY  OF  THE  WOBLD. 


87 


to  $4.05  gold.    The  price  of  solder  mns  from  $58.50  to  $65  gold  per 

picul  (133  pounds).  .  .   i  v  u 

The  remainder  of  this  room  was  given  up  to  the  canning  establisn- 
ment,  the  equipment  of  which  consists  of  three  processing  kettles 
which  are  square  iron  vats  built  on  brick  foundations  and  with  brick 
sides  Wooden  covers  are  placed  on  these  brick  vats  to  help  raise 
the  temperature  above  boiling,  but  there  is  apparently  no  accurate 
means  of  determining  what  the  temperature  is.  The  water  is  kept 
boihng  by  means  of  soft-coal  fires  in  the  brick  fireplaces  underneath 
the  process  kettles.  Iron  racks  for  the  cans  are  lowered  mto  these 
vats  by  iron  hooks  on  the  ends  of  bamboo  poles. 

The  pineapples,  which  are  grown  in  abundance  around  bwatow, 
are  purchased  at  the  factory  for  1  i  to  2  cents  eold.  They  are  brought 
in  baskets  from  the  wholesale  markets  and  dumned  m  one  corner  of 
the  factory,  whence  they  are  taken  to  the  peelers,  who,  with  one 
hand  encased  in  a  rubber  glove,  proceed  to  peel  and  shce  the  pme- 
apple.  The  method  of  peeling,  shcing,  and  fiUing  the  cans,  sirupii^, 
exhausting,  venting,  and  processing  is  practically  the  same  as  m  the 
Singapore  factories.  The  best  of  these  fruits  are  packed  24  cans 
to  the  case,  the  cans  being  approximately  2-pound  containers 
measuring  3f  inches  in  diameter  and  4f  mches  m  height,  bucft 
goods  sell  for  $2.50  gold  per  case.  The  poorer  quahty  sells  for  $2 
Sold  per  case  of  forty-eight  1-pound  cans,  measurmg  2}  mches  in  di- 
ameter and  3  J  inches  in  height.  At  retail  the  2-pound  cans  sell  for 
12i  cents  gold,  and  the  1-pound  cans  for  5  to  7i  cents  gold. 

The  labels  are  purchased  from  England  through  Hongkong,  and 
are  printed  in  Chinese  and  Enghsh  characters.  Although  pnnted  on 
poor  paper,  thev  are  well  executed  and  fairly  attractive.  They  cost 
$1.75  to  $2  gold  per  thousand. 


THE   HBE   HIANQ  00. 


The  Mee  Hiang  factory,  Whylung  Bridge,  Swatow,  while  not  so 
large  as  the  Sek  fie  factory,  is  housed  in  practically  the  same  kmd  of 
brick  building,  with  the  advantage  of  more  air  and  hght. 

The  front  portion  of  this  building,  as  in  the  case  of  the  bek  lie 
factory,  is  used  as  receiving  room  and  as  storage  warehouse  for 
finished  products,  and  a  small  portion  is  partitioned  off  as  an  office 
and  showroom.  The  rear  two-thirds  of  the  factory  is  given  up  to 
the  canning  and  tin-making  sections,  which  occupy  a  space  about  20 
by  40  feet.  This  space  has  a  brick  floor,  and  the  building  is  more  or 
less  of  an  open  shed,  affording  better  light  and  ventilation  than  is 
had  at  the  plant  of  the  Sek  Be  Co. 

The  equipment  consists  of  three  brick-covered  iron  open  vats,  the 
usual  tables  and  hand  tools,  and  a  few  hand-worked  can-cuttii^ 
arrangements.  All  cans  are  soldered  by  hand.  The  proprietors  of 
this  estabUshment  indicated  a  desire  for  improved  machinery.  They 
will  consider  catalogues,  but  as  they  do  not  understand  Ei^hsh  they 
will  require  a  translator  and  also  some  one  to  explain  the  working  of 
the  more  compUcated  machinery. 

The  output  of  the  factory  is  stated  to  be  400,000  cans  per  year. 
This  includes  all  of  the  products  put  up  at  the  factory,  such  as 
lychees,  white  beans,  myricas,  carabolas,  and  pineapples,  although 
the  last  named  is  the  principal  product.  Fresh  pineapples  were 
quoted  at  $0.75  to  $1.25  gold  per  picul  (133  pounds). 


38 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE   INDUSTRY   OF   THE   WORLD. 


This  factory  employs  about  70  men  and  bovs  the  greater  part  of 
the  season,  paying  in  wages  from  $1.35  to  as  nigh  as  S4.50  ^old  per 
month.  All  food  is  furnished  the  laborers  in  addition,  and  in  some 
cases  tobacco  and  sleeping  quarters. 


AMOY  FACTORIES. 


Amoy  has  two  canning  factories,  the  Malcampo  &  Co.  and  the 
Amoy  Tinning  Co.  (Ltd.)  The  former  is  a  small  factory  established 
within  the  last  few  years  in  the  native  Chinese  town  of  Amoy,  in  old 
buildings  formerly  connected  with  a  theater.  The  methods  pursued 
by  the  owner  of  this  factory  are  somewhat  better  than  those  in  vogue 
in  Swatow  factories,  yet  more  or  less  of  the  Chinese  type.  The  total 
output  is  30,000  cans  per  year,  principally  2-pound  cans.  The 
methods  of  canning  and  the  machinery  in  this  factory  do  not  differ 
much  from  those  in  Swatow.  The  owner  seemed  more  anxious  to 
secure  new  capital  than  to  discuss  the  purchase  of  machinery. 

The  factor^r  of  the  Amoy  Tinning  Co.  (I^td.)  is  probably  one  of  the 
most  interesting  in  southern  China.  It  is  owned  and  operated  by 
wealthy  and  influential  Chinese,  and  is  situated  on  the  island  of 
Kulangsu,  on  which  are  located  the  foreign  residences.  This  com- 
pany was  first  known  as  the  Kulangsu  Tinning  Co. 

The  progress  made  by  this  factory  is  very  marked.  During  1912 
and  1913  a  considerable  tract  of  land  was  purchased  and  new  and 
modem  buildings  erected  for  canning  purposes.  Through  the  assist- 
ance of  the  American  consulate  an  American  superintendent  has  been 
engaged  and  left  America  early  in  1914  to  take  charge  of  the  factory. 
He  entered  into  a  three-year  contract,  and  is  to  supervise  the  con- 
struction of  additional  buildings  and  the  installation  of  new  ma- 
chinei-y.  Considerable  American  can-making  machinery  has  been 
purchased  for  the  new  plant.  The  products  of  this  factory  include 
meats,  fish,  vegetables,  fruits,  jams,  pickles,  and  sauces,  and  pine- 
apple, although  the  last  named  is  not  the  principal  product.  The 
output  of  the  factory  before  the  enlargement  was  completed  was 
about  3,000  cans  per  day. 

The  factory  building  is  divided  into  several  rooms  about  40  by  60 
feet,  with  ample  light,  cement  floors,  and  convenient  arrangement  of 
machinery.  A  good  deal  of  the  first  machinery  purchased  was  of 
English  manufacture  (J.  Rhodes  &  Co.  (Ltd.),  Wakefield,  England), 
consisting  of  presses,  benders,  and  double  seamers.  The  motive  power 
is  furnished  by  a  Gardner  8-horsepower  kerosene  engine,  and  the 
boiler  for  generating  steam  is  of  German  manufacture. 

The  capital  of  the  Amoy  Tinning  Co.  when  it  was  started  in  1908 
was  about  $10,000  gold,  and  $2,500  gold  was  added  a  httle  later.  It 
was  increased  to  about  $37,500  in  July,  1911.  The  value  of  business 
done  was  about  $10,000  in  1909,  $15,000  in  1910,  and  $37,500  in  1911. 

The  gross  profit,  it  is  said,  is  about  35  per  cent.  At  the  end  of  the 
years  1909  and  1910,  the  shareholders  received  dividends  at  the  rate 
of  8  per  cent  on  their  shares.  At  the  end  of  1911,  in  addition  to  the 
8  per  cent  dividends,  the  holders  of  the  shares  issued  before  July, 
1911,  were  given  a  cash  sum  of  $5.03  per  share  and  the  holder  of 
shares  dateasubsequent  to  July,  1911,  were  allotted  a  profit  of  $4.98 
per  share.    All  shares  are  valued  at  $125  Mexican  ($62.25  gold). 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY  OP  THE  WORLD. 


HONGKONG. 


39 


Statistics  concerning  the  factories  canning  pineapple  in  Hong- 
kong were  exceedingly  diflftcidt  to  obtain.  There  are  probably  20  or 
30  so-called  factories  located  in  one  or  two  rooms  in  various  sections, 
of  the  Chinese  quarters.  The  rooms  occupied  by  these  factories  are 
rarely  more  than  15  feet  square,  and  the  crowded  condition  and  lack 
of  cleanUness  can  result  only  in  products  of  the  most  inferior  type. 

The  machinery  consists  of  the  usual  tables  and  knives  with  which 
the  fruit  is  prepared,  such  as  are  found  in  Singapore.  There  is  rarely 
more  than  one  iron  vat  for  exhausting  and  processing.  Cans  are 
made  by  hand  with  out-of-date  tin-cutting  machines  of  the  crudest 
type.  Occasionally  may  be  found  an  old  hand-operated  double- 
seaming  apparatus  of  German  make. 


CANTON. 


The  writer's  visit  to  Canton  occurred  during  the  last  revolution, 
and  as  fighting  was  daily  occurring  in  Canton,  inspection  of  the  fac- 
tories was  an  impossibility. 

The  factories  at  Canton  do  not  confine  themselves  to  pineapple. 
They  are  the  oldest  canning  establishments  in  China  and  ship  their 
products  not  only  throughout  China  but  to  every  point  to  which  the 
Chinese  have  emigrated. 

The  buildings  and  methods  pursued  are  not  very  different  from 
those  at  Swatow.  Little  attention  is  given  improved  methods  and 
cleanliness.  All  of  the  products  canned  by  these  factories  are  for 
Chinese  consumption. 

TAIWAN  (FORMOSA). 

(By  Vice  Consul  Max  D.  Kirjassofl,  TansuL] 

According  to  official  statistics  the  pineapple  crop  of  Taiwan  (For- 
mosa) for  1909,  1910,  and  1911  was  as  follows: 


Years. 

Quantity. 

Value. 

Area 
planted. 

1909 

Poundi. 
IS, 176, 131 
15.949,685 

y, 348, 724 

S121,938 
165,764 
119,280 

Acre*. 
2,937.5 
2,349.5 
2,100.0 

1910 

1911 

The  pineapples  comprise  about  5  per  cent  of  the  total  fruit  crop  in 
value  and  require  about  19  per  cent  of  the  area  devoted  to  fruits. 
Taichu,  in  central  Taiwan,  is  the  chief  producing  prefecture  and  fur- 
nishes about  55  per  cent  of  all  the  pineapples  grown  on  the  island. 
Next  to  Taichu  come  Tainan  in  the  south  and  Taihoku  in  the  north. 

Previous  to  1911  the  exports  of  pineapples  to  Japan  had  seldom 
exceeded  50,000  pounds,  but  in  that  year  such  exports  jumped  to 
633,600  pounds.  The  exports  to  China  are  not  important,  318,049 
pounds  in  1909  being  the  high  mark.  Prices  in  the  market  at  home 
and  in  Japan  are  more  favorable. 

No  rehable  statistics  of  the  production  of  canned  pineapple  in 
Taiwan  are  to  be  had,  but  as  nearly  the  entire  output  is  exported  the 


^^' 


40 


CANNEIVPINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY  OP  THE  WOBLD. 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY  OF   THE  WORLD. 


41 


export  statistics  give  some  idea  of  the  production.  In  1908  the 
exports  amounted  to  22,229  dozen  tins  valued  at  $33,256,  m  1909 
to  19,750  dozen  valued  at  $29,753,  in  1910  to  13,785  dozen  valued  at 
$18,890,  and  in  1911  to  29,542  dozen  valued  at  $37,454.  The  tins 
weiffh  about  2§  pounds.     The  exports  for  the  most  part  go  to  Kobe, 

Osafca,  and  Tokyo.  ,^     ^,  •  i 

The  six  principal  canneries  are  as  follows:  The  Okamiira  pmeapple 
cannery,  at  Hozen,  capital,  $27,000;  the  Ro  Ho  Shoko  pineapple 
cannery,  at  Daitotei,  capital,  $7,300;  the  Maruyasu  pmeapple  can- 
nery, at  Inrin,  capital,  $4,650;  the  Kojunki  pineapple  cannery,  at 
Nihachisui,  capital,  $6,000;  the  Giran  Marine  Products  To.,  at  Giran, 
capital,  $3,705;  the  Masutoku  pineapple  cannerv,  at  Inrin,  capital, 
$4,000.  Since  the  foregoinjj  figjures  were  issued  the  Kojunki  cannery 
has  increased  its  capital  to  $25,000.  The  Marutoku  cannery  has  also 
increased  its  capital,  but  the  combined  capital  of  all  the  companies 
does  not  exceed  $100,000. 

The  Okamura  factory  is  the  largest  of  the  six  and  may  be  taken  as 
a  fair  example  of  the  Taiwan  canneries.  The  buildings  include  an 
office,  cannery,  warehouse  for  raw  fruit,  can  factory,  washing  house, 
and  warehouses  for  canned  fruit.  There  is  an  18-horsepower  boiler, 
an  S-horsepower  engine,  and  two  processing  kettles  of  48  cubic  feet. 

Pineapples  for  canning  cost  about  IJ  cents  for  the  best  quaUty,  IJ 
cents  for  second  quality,  and  1  cent  for  third  quality.  The  average 
weight  is  about  2  J  pounds.  Most  of  the  companies  have  no  planta- 
tions and  are  obliged  to  buy  their  fruit  from  the  growers. 

The  fruit  is  put  up  in  the  following  styles:  ''Whole,"  for  which  the 
pineapple  is  cut  at  both  ends,  the  skin  removed,  and  the  core  cut  out 
by  means  of  a  metal  tube;  "seed  cut  out,"  which  is  the  same  as 
"whole"  with  seeds  removed;  "sliced,"  which  is  the  same  as  "seed 
cut  out,"  but  cut  into  circular  slices  about  half  an  inch  thick;  "chunk," 
cut  into  pieces  li  inches  long  and  i  inch  wide  and  thick;  "cube," 
cut  into  i-inch  cubes;  "golden  coin,"  cut  into  coin  shape  about  \ 
inch  wide  and  thick;  "jam,"  and  "grated."  Of  the  foregoing  styles 
the  "sliced,"  "chunk,'^  and  "cube^'  are  the  most  profitable,  as  anjr 
size  of  pineapple  may  be  used,  but  the  style  known  as  "seed  cut  out  ' 
is  the  most  popular  form  at  all  the  canneries. 

One  man  can  trim  400  to  500  pineapples  a  day,  but  if  the  work  is 
continued  for  several  days  the  workman's  hands  become  sore.  The 
trimming  is  done  on  the  piecework  basis  at  the  rate  of  one-sixth  of  1 
cent  per  pineapple.  The  work  of  removing  the  skin  is  begun  at  1  or 
2  o'clock  in  the  morning,  so  that  the  canning  works  may  be  operated 
from  as  early  an  hour  as  possible. 

Most  of  the  factories  have  can-making  machines,  which  cost  on  an 
average  about  $200  in  Taiwan,  including  all  attachments  and  the 
expense  of  installation.  The  tin  plate  used  for  making  cans  costs 
$4.02  per  1 12  sheets,  14  by  20  inches.  At  the  Okamura  factory  three 
cans— large,  medium,  and  small— are  made  from  one  sheet.  TCach 
cannery  makes  its  own  solder  by  combining  equal  Quantities  of  lead 
and  tin.  The  tin  costs  $43.23  per  100  pounds  and  the  lead  $3.38. 
Hydrochloric  acid,  used  in  sealing  the  cans,  is  generally  prepared  at 
the  canneries,  but  is  sometimes  purchased  at  $1.87  per  kerosene  can. 
This  would  mean  an  expense  of  about  1  cent  per  200  cans.  Charcoal 
is  the  only  fuel  used  ancl  costs  about  50  cents  per  100  pounds,  or  about 


2i  cents  per  100  cans.  One  man  can  make  on  an  average  500  cans 
a  day,  for  which  he  receives  25  cents. 

A  mixture  of  8  gallons  of  water  and  33  pounds  of  sugar  is  used  for 
sweetening.  After  boiling  for  half  an  hour  in  a  double  kettle  this 
mixture  is  sufficient  to  fill  160  to  200  cans,  at  a  cost  of  about  2  cents 
a  can.  The  sugar  is  generally  a  native  product,  but  is  sometimes 
imported  from  Hongkong  at  $8.46  per  100  pounds. 

The  export  prices  of  Taiwan  canned  pineapple  in  2-kin  (2§-pound) 
cans,  2\  dozen  to  the  case,  are  as  follows:  Whole,  $1.23  per  dozen; 
seed  cut  out,  $1.28;  sliced,  $1.33.  The  prices  in  Taiwan  are:  Whole, 
$1.30  per  dozen;  seed  cut  out,  $1.40;  sliced,  $1.50.  Each  style  is  also 
packed  in  2i-kin  (3J-pound)  cans,  2  dozen  to  the  case,  and  in  IJ-kin 
(2-pound)  cafis,  3  dozen  to  the  case,  and  are  sold  at  corresponding 
prices.  The  Taiwan  pineapple  is  about  20  per  cent  higher  m  price 
than  the  Singapore  product.  The  net  profit  per  case  of  3  dozen  cans 
of  Taiwan  pineappfc  is  about  $0.57  for  the  exported  product  and 
approximately  $1.20  for  that  sold  at  home. 

The  Taiwan  pineapple-canning  industry  is  not  in  a  very  prosperous 
condition,  a  state  of  affairs  that  may  be  attributed  to  the  following 
causes :  The  quality  of  the  pineapple  is  inferior,  as  there  is  too  much 
fiber,  the  flavor  is  poor,  and  the  fruit  is  small.  The  canning  season 
lasts  only  120  days  and  it  is  difficult  to  hire  laborers  for  so  short  a 
period.  The  Taiwan  canneries  use  less  sugar  than  the  canneries  of 
other  countries  and  the  sugar  is  of  an  inferior  quaUty.  Canned  pine- 
apples sell  slowly  and  as  a  result  payments  to  the  canneries  are 
delayed.  This  forces  the  canners  to  demand  high  prices,  which  affects 
the  market  adversely.  There  is  no  association  of  canners  and  as  a 
consequence  no  standard  grades  of  goods  are  maintained. 

The  Taiwan  Government  proposes  the  following  plans  for  the 
improvement  of  the  industry: 

Native  conditiona  and  methods  of  culture  shall  be  studied  in  comparison  with 
those  of  other  countries  with  a  view  to  impro\'ing  the  quality  of  the  raw  product. 

Pineapples  for  canning  shall  be  well  selected  and  carefully  finished. 

Encouragement  shall  be  given  the  cultivation  of  pineapples  in  the  most  favorable 
bcalities,  such  as  the  Tainan  Prefecture.  . 

Factories  shall  be  erected  as  near  the  fields  as  possible,  transportation  faciutiea 
being  given  due  consideration. 

The  consumption  tax  on  sugar  contained  in  cans  for  export  may  be  refunded. 

The  canneries  are  to  make  contracts  for  quick  payments  and  to  lower  their  prices 
as  far  as  possible. 

An  association  of  all  the  canners  shall  be  formed. 

BAHAMA  ISLANDS. 

[Consul  William  F.  Doty,  Nassau,  New  Provldenoa.) 

Some  interesting  experiments  are  being  conducted  on  the  island 
of  New  Providence,  Bahamas,  looking  toward  a  marked  improve- 
ment of  the  pineapple  industry,  which  until  comparatively  recent 
years  made  tnis  group  of  islands  famous.  Of  late  this  export  has 
Deen  insignificant,  owing  to  high  tariff  duties  in  the  United  States 
and  the  favorable  treatment  of  the  Hawaiian  product.  The  lack  of 
proper  ventilation  and  cold-storage  facilities  en  route  have  further 
militated  against  successfid  handling  of  the  fruit.  New  interest  is 
evident  now,  however,  and  methods  of  cultivation  and  packing  are 
being  carefully  studied  by  a  few  enterprising  planters  and  packers. 
Tha  outlook  is  very  hopeful. 


42 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY   OF   THE   WORLD. 


CANNED-PINEAPPLE  INDUSTRY  OF   THE  WORLD. 


48 


What  inio:ht  be  appropriately  called  waste  land,  such  as  coidd  be 
purchased  for  the  sum  of  50  cents  United  States  currency  per  acre 
a  few  years  ago,  is  being  cleared  of  brush  and  small  trees^  at  a  cost 
of  less  than  50  cents  per  male  laborer  a  day. 

It  is  thought  by  some  that  the  flavor  of  the  pineapple  grown  in  the 
Bahamas  is  finer  than  that  of  pineapples  round  elsewhere.  The 
largest  fruit  at  maturity  weighs  about  5i  pounds.  The  Smooth 
Cayenne  variety  grown  in  some  of  the  other  groups  of  the  West 
Indies  is  larger,  but  is  perhaps  not  so  choice  for  table  purposes  as  the 
?\ed  Spanish  of  the  Bahamas.  It  is  questionable  if  the  same  plant 
(levelops  so  fine  a  flavor  even  in  Cuba,  whence  the  slips  are  imported 
into  the  Bahamas. 

Although  under  the  more  favorable  soil  conditions  at  the  island  of 
Eleuthera  in  this  group  the  life  of  the  pineapple  plant  hns  been 
prolonged  for  the  extraordinary  period  of  20  years,  here  in  the  waste 
land  5  years  would  be  exceptional,  "niree  years  is  seemingly  the 
limit  of  the  average  plant.  Slips  from  Cuba  are  preferred  to  suckers 
from  old  plants. 

AN  AMERICAN  CANNING  ESTABLISHMENT 

An  American  corporation  operates  a  pineapple-canning  factory 
successfully  at  Nassau.  Practically  all  of  the  equipment  is  of  Amer- 
ican origin,  and  the  tins  are  of  Amencan  manutacture,  of  a  superior 
grade.  All  of  the  boxes  are  likewis?  brought  in  from  the  United 
States.     The  box  used  is  the  lock-head  type. 

During  the  season  of  1913  about  25,000  cases  of  tinned  pineapples 
were  shipped  by  this  company  to  the  United  States.  The  president 
of  the  company  is  doing  everything  possible  to  revive  the  mdustry. 
The  planter  is  now  being  supplied  with  slips  from  Cuba  and  with 
fertihzer,  and  payment  is  deferred  until  after  the  plant  has  matured, 
18  months  later.  Cash  advances  are  not  made.  In  this  connection, 
however,  it  may  be  predicted  that  in  time  the  planters  may  call  upon 
bankers  for  advances.  American  capital  may  find  this  a  profitable 
field  in  the  future.  There  are  large  areas  on  the  island  of  Eleuthera 
and  on  other  islands,  and  even  fairly  large  tracts  on  New  Providerce, 
that  could  be  obtained  for  a  very  small  sum.  With  enlarged  facilities 
for  canning  the  pineapples  at  Nassau  and  other  centers  the  industry 
would  apparently  have  a  promising  future. 

The  factory  is  situated  on  the  harbor  front  and  is  ensily  accessible 
to  ships  bringing  the  fruit  from  the  other  islands.  The  yellow  pine- 
apples are  sliced  for  table — 15  slices  to  the  No.  2  tin  and  7  to  the 
No.  1  tin.     Cane  sugar  is  added. 

The  processing  lasts  25  to  45  minutes,  according  to  grade.  The 
full  but  green  pineapples  are  cut  into  slices  five-eighths  of  an  irch 
thick  and  are  not  sugared.  This  grade  is  put  up  to  be  remanufac- 
tured  in  the  United  States.  The  cores  are  chopped  up  and,  mixed 
with  other  ingredients,  used  in  candy  manufacture  in  the  Urited 
States.  Even  the  skin  of  the  pineapple  is  pressed  and  the  resulting 
.  juice  tinned,  with  small  pieces  of  pineapple  added.  This  is  not 
fruit  juice  for  table  use,  but  is  to  be  reman ufactured  into  fruit  juice. 
A  case  of  pineapple  contains  48  pounds  of  fruit  exclusive  of  sugar 
and  water.  The  labels  of  the  ''Columbian"  brand,  depicting  the 
discovery  of  the  Bahamas,  are  very  attractive. 


The  factory  supplies  work  to  many  hundreds  of  people  at  times. 
The  women  can  earn  by  piecework  between  36  and  48  cents  United 
States  currency  per  day.     The  men  are  paid  relatively  higher. 

Th9  table  grade  sells  in  New  York  at  $3.30  a  case  and  the  grade  for 
reman ufacturing  at  $3. 

GUADELOUPE. 

(Consul  Fredrick  T.  F.  Dumont.] 

There  are  two  canning  factories  in  the  colony  of  Guadeloupe  and 
both  are  engaged  in  preparing  pineapple  for  the  French  market.  The 
exports  of  pineapple  m  1 91 1  amoimted  to  about  400,000  poimds.  The 
canning  season  begins  in  March  and  closes  in  September.  The  pi'ices 
paid  for  the  raw  fruit  in  1911  were  as  follows:  For  large  pineapples, 
$0.01  each;  for  medium  sizes,  $0,006;  for  small  sizes,  $0,003. 

The  cans  are  imported  from  France  and  cost  $0.04  each  f.  o.  b. 
Pointe  a  Pitre,  the  nrincipal  city  of  the  colony.  Labor  is  paid  as 
follows:  Men,  $0.38  to  $0.76  per  day;  women,  $0.19  to  $0.24;  me- 
chanics, $0.76  to  $0.95;  mechanics'  assistants,  $0.38  to  $0.57. 


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